A NEIGHBOUR has described the dramatic moments when a fire was deliberately started in a Tilbury flat, trapping a grandmother and two infants inside the property while their mother was outside the property, which is a flat above the shops on Civic Square.

The 29 year old neighbour, who asked not to be named, was on of a number of people who rushed to try and help the family when the alarm was raised just 1am today (Thursday, 19 November).

He took up the story of what happened, saying: "We were disturbed by a noise but didn't initially think anything of it, thinking it was someone messing about but then it became clear it was serious so we went to look.

"There is a balcony outside the flats and a woman was running up and down, screaming, "fire, fire" and banging on doors and banging pans.

"Myself and my mate ran over and went up to the level. She was screaming that her kids were inside and we could see there was a fire.

"Two or three people who were there were helping her trying to kick the door in. Then she crashed through a window and cut herself badly on the glass. One of the boys up there grabbed her and managed to get her down the stairs, she was in a pretty bad way.

"By then the police had arrived and they moved us all away and then the fire brigade arrived and took control. The woman was in the care of an ambulance by then too and the firefighters got to work and were able to get to the woman who was with the kids and get them out, wrapped in blankets. They were two young children, they looked about primary school age."

The neighbour, who added that a man had been seen running away from the flat at the outset of the incident, said the rescue was carried out calmly and the woman was reunited with her children while the emergency teams got on with their work.

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"It was pretty scary but thankfully they are all alright, though she did have some cuts and glass sticking out of her legs but she was safe and so were the kids and the older lady.

"As a parent of a young child myself I can imagine what she was going through, It was all pretty horrible really."

As reported this morning, the fire service have confirmed the woman inside the flat, who was the children's grandmother, was among those who raised the alarm via telephone and during the incident she was in contact with the fire service control room, and she found a safe place with air to breath for her and children in the higher levels of the flat and awaited rescue.

Orsett Fire Station Watch Manager Dave Bond, who was with one of three crews from Orsett, Grays and Corringham that attended, said: "We soon found that she had a safe space within her flat where she could continue to breathe fresh air, so asked her to stay there while we tackled the fire and cleared the smoke.

"Once it was safe to do so we led the resident and the children out of her flat and down the stairs to safety."

A police investigation started into the incident this morning and it has now been confirmed that the fire was started deliberately. Further investigations are ongoing.