FIREFIGHTERS tackled a blaze this morning (Wednesday, 31 August) at the derelict Calcutta Club in Tilbury.

The alarm was raised around 7am and crews from Orsett Fire Station's White Watch attended the blaze, aided by an aerial platform ladder based at Grays. The ladder is a permanent fixture in the borough but sometimes other ladders are brought in to borough incidents as there aren't enough firefighters at Grays to man the ladder as well as all other appliances if there is a big incident.

The blaze at the club, which was seated on the building's former stage, was brought under control by the crews and largely extinbguished by 9am, followed by a damping down exercise.

It is believed intruders forced their way into the building and set the fire on the former stage.

A statement from Essex Fire and Rescue Service said: "Crews from Orsett and Grays attended and found a bonfire inside a derelict building. The building was 100% smoke-logged.

"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the fire and while ventilating the building and checking for hotspots they detected a fire in the roof.

"The Aerial Ladder Platform from Grays attended and crews removed tiles and searched for hotspots in the roof. They found a fire and extinguished it by 9.10am.

"Crews will return to the site this afternoon to carry out further checks.

 "The fire has been recorded as deliberate."

A planning application for the building, hoping to demolish it and build a block of 36 flats, was submitted to Thurrock Council last December. It has yet to be determined.