Quick work by firefighters saves cottage from substantial fire damage

It has been reported that thanks to the swift efforts of fire crews, a thatched cottage fire in Essex was put out without there being any widespread damage to the structure.

The firefighters from Essex and Suffolk stations were praised for preventing the blaze from spreading at the building in Church Road, Wormingford, which is just north of Colchester.

Five fire engines attended the scene where the fire had spread to the roof from a chimney. The fire crews worked by dragging the thatch away from the danger area using just their hands, while at the same time, fire hoses were turned towards the flames.

Station officer John Harris explained:

“Crews did an excellent job getting on top of and extinguishing this fire so quickly.

“Often fires in thatched properties lead to widespread damage.

“The fire appears to have started in the chimney. They had lit their fireplace and there must have been a fault in the chimney which allowed fire to get in the roof.

“Because crews had all arrived so quickly we were able to get four ladders up to the chimney and strip the thatch away.

“It is difficult, labour intensive work but crews worked really hard and we had quickly stripped the roof away and prevented the spread of the fire.

“At the same time we carried out a salvage operation to prevent the water from our hoses from damaging their property.

“The fire was quickly extinguished then we covered the holes in the roof with salvage sheets to help keep out the worst of the weather.”