An electrical fault is thought to have started a fire that caused substantial damage to a house in Windsor Court, Brightlingsea, on Wednesday, July 26.
Neighbours raised the alarm after hearing smoke alarms going off in the semi-detached property just after 3pm.
Firefighters from Brightlingsea, Weeley, Clacton and Wivenhoe attended, with crews donning breathing apparatus to enter the smoke-filled house. They worked to prevent the fire spreading to the adjoining property and had the blazed extinguished by 4:18pm.
No-one was hurt during the blaze, but the house was badly damaged. An online fund to raise money for the family affected – which includes three children – has been set up and can be found here
Essex Fire and Rescue Service station manager Nick Singleton said: “I’d like to praise the crews who worked quickly to get this fire under control and prevent it spreading next door. Many of the firefighters here today are on-call firefighters working to protect their communities and lots of them were up throughout the night tackling a large fire in Dovercourt.
He also commended neighbours for their quick action in calling fire crews – and emphasised the importance of having working smoke alarms.
“Having working smoke alarms at home is so important, not just to alert you to a fire but to neighbours and passers-by too,” he said. “We recommend you have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of your home and that you test them regularly. If you haven’t got working smoke alarms, we can fit them for free. Find out more at www.essex-fire.gov.uk/book.
