EMERGENCY services including many crews of firefighters attended a blaze in a flat at George Tilbury House in Chadwell St Mary this morning (Saturday, 21 May).

The fire was in a top floor flat, which sustained substantial damage and its residents will need to be rehoused. Fire services incident commander Al Green has confirmed that no-one was injured in the incident, though two people did suffer smoke inhalation. A woman who was in the flat did visit hospital to be checked out and is expected to go from there to temporary council accommodation which has been arranged for her and her daughter.

Other residents in the building remained in their flats during the fire, which was attended by a substantial number of crews from Essex Fire and Rescue stations across the region.

Ward councillors Sara Muldowney and Daniel Chukwu were on the scene shortly after the fire was put out to help attend to any needs of residents and Cllr Muldowney says they will be looking to provide alternative accomodation for those in need of it and council officers will be contacted. See a short interview with Cllr Muldowny via this link.

A statement from Essex Fire and Rescue says: "On arrival, crews confirmed that a fire was burning in a flat on the 13th floor of the building. Crews immediately evacuated residents of the other properties on the 13th floor and implemented the building's 'stay put' policy, which encourages those who are not at direct risk of fire or smoke to stay where they are and allow firefighters to tackle the fire quickly and efficiently.

"Firefighters quickly gained entry to the flat and worked hard to ensure it did not spread any further. A safety cordon is in place around the area of the building.

Incident Commander Al Green said at 10am: "Crews are working hard to completely extinguish this fire and make the building safe again as quickly as possible.

"If you live nearby, you may notice smoke coming from the building - please don't be alarmed. A safety cordon is in place while firefighting continues, so please avoid the area."

"At 10.30am, the fire was completely extinguished. Two people have been affected by smoke inhalation.

The incident command post.

"The Red Cross has also been called to support at the scene, after the occupants of the flat were sadly left homeless by the damage caused by the fire.

"An investigation to understand the cause will take place once the scene has cooled completely, but we do not believe this fire to be suspicious."

A statement from Thurrock Council said: "Council Housing Officers are on the scene and working with all residents affected by the fire.

"The occupants of the flat which suffered the fire will be supported by housing officers to find suitable accommodation. Officers are also working tirelessly to ensure that other residents on the same floor can return to their flats as quickly as possible.

A large number of fire crews attended the incident.

"No other flats in the building have been affected and the building's stay put policy was implemented to keep other residents safe."

Incident Commander Green said at 11am: "I'd like to thank the residents of this building for being so supportive. The people on the same floor as the fire followed our advice and made a safe exit, while everyone else within the building was incredibly respectful of what we asked - which makes a big difference in being able to tackle the fire as quickly as possible.

"I'd also like to recognise the brilliant work of our crews. High-rise fires are complex and can be really challenging, but the professionalism and efficiency of our firefighters today has ensured that this incident didn't become more serious."

Incident commander al Green briefing ward councilors Sara Muldowney and Daniel Chukwu.

Firefighters from stations across the region attended another flats fire at George Tilbury House in June 2018. You can view a clip of that incident via this link.

There was a previous fire at the flats in June 2018.