Firefighters rescue two men and dog from blaze in Chelmsford
Embers from a bonfire lead to destruction during hot and dry weather
Two men and a dog have been rescued by firefighters after embers from a bonfire spread and caused a fire affecting three homes in Chelmsford.
Fire crews were alerted at 1:54 am on Tuesday (11 August), to reports of a shed fire, which expanded to flames taller than the houses in the area.
The fire rapidly spread across the garden, fences, and to a house, where it quickly overtook the exterior and moved into the roof space.
Around 20 firefighters were involved in rescuing the individuals and dog from inside the home and worked to extinguish the fire in the garden and loft.
Neighbours in adjoining homes were evacuated to prevent the fire from impacting their properties.
By 3 am, the fire was put out, with preliminary assessments pointing to embers from a bonfire as the source of ignition.
Watch Manager Steve Joyce from Chelmsford Fire Station highlighted the risks:
“This incident shows the dangers of how having a bonfire in this hot and dry weather can cause devastating fires. Three homes have been damaged, one completely destroyed and families, some with children, woke up in the night to terrifying scenes of flames taller than their houses. Where everything is so dry and flammable at the moment, it took minutes for embers to spread along the fences and throughout the garden."
Joyce added an appeal to the community:
“Please do not have bonfires until we’ve had some significant rain, everything is so tinder dry and will be until we have lots of rain.”