Fire leaves family of 8 homeless

Firefighters have warned people to ensure they are safe in their homes after a fire left a family of 8 homeless.

Firefighters attended a fire at a three storey terraced house in West Street, Harwich, at around 5.30pm on Tuesday 5^th June. The fire is thought to have started in a second floor bedroom.

It is the second fire to break out in six months on the street, and the third in the area since December.

Martin Avent, community safety officer said: “Fires like this show how even the smallest fire in the home can cause devastation. In this case eight people were unable to return to their home as a result of the fire. Every home should have at least one working smoking alarm on every floor, they are the most important early warning system a house can have alerting all occupants that something is wrong the minute a fire breaks out, giving everyone time to escape before calling us in to deal with the incident.”