FIREFIGHTERS have issued a warning after turning out in the early hours of this morning (Sunday, 18 February) to tackle a blaze in the garden of a Chadwell St Mary home.

Crews from Orsett and Grays were called to Nicolas Walk, at 3.46am to extinguish a fire which had spread in a garden from a brick built pizza oven. 

When they arrived, they found a fire which had spread to a wooden structure built near the pizza oven as well as the neighbouring fence. 

Firefighters used hose reel jets to stop the fire from spreading further and extinguished it by 4.45am. 

Watch Manager Kevin Smith said: "We'd like to praise the neighbours for their quick actions in calling us once they spotted the fire.

"The residents had been using a brick built pizza oven that evening and had done the right thing by removing the embers. 

"However, the oven itself and the cooking hot plate remained very hot which radiated heat onto the wooden structure built near the oven, causing it to catch alight. 

"If you have a pizza oven, please make sure it's fully cooled and is well away from sheds, fences, trees, shrubs or garden waste."