FAMILIES were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night after the ground floor of a house was completely engulfed in a devastating blaze.

Residents woke to the piercing smell of smoke and deafening noise of sirens when fire crews rushed to the scene on Longwick, Langdon Hills, at 2.49am on Friday.

After neighbours had raised the alarm when they saw the smoke, teams from Basildon and Orsett found the fire had already engulfed the ground floor of the property, and began working desperately to get it under control.

The fire, believed to be suspicious, was extinguished by 3.57am.

A nearby homeowner, who wished to remain anonymous, was woken up to see neighbouring families rushing to evacuate their homes.

The 34-year-old, who lives on Fern Hill, said: “I was woken at around 2.50am to the sound of sirens. You could see and smell thick black smoke billowing outside.

“I went out around ten minutes after waking up to find families from neighbouring properties being evacuated. There were families with small children having to walk uphill where they had been evacuated.

“I walked past the property Friday morning which was guarded by two police officers. The entire ground floor had been completely gutted.

“You could see there was heavy fire damage, but it looked to be worse in the kitchen area.”

Thankfully, it’s believed the flat was unoccupied at the time and that nobody was hurt during the blaze.

The crews new fire investigation dog, Fizz, also took part in the investigation - she found accelerants inside and outside of the property.

Echo:

Investigation - police at the scene at 11am this morning

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The woman continued: “I have been told by an immediate neighbour to the property that the family escaped unscathed, although I didn’t see them at the time of the incident.

“I’m two roads away and uphill so we were fine, we just had to close our windows. The saddest part is walking past it now and realising a family has just lost everything they had. It’s really sad to think about.

“We all hope they’re okay and as a community will help where they can if they need it I’m sure.”

Watch Manager Gareth Critch, said: "The fire was fully developed when we arrived so crews did a good job to stop it spreading. Sadly, the flat was badly damaged by fire, smoke and heat."

A spokesperson from the fire service confirmed they are continuing to work with Essex Police on the investigation.

Kerry Smith, deputy leader of Basildon Council, said: “I was informed about the devastating Longwick fire early Friday morning, my thoughts go to the family affected. 

“I want to thank the emergency services for their quick response to the blaze, especially while we remain in lockdown. 

“This demonstrates why we all must have working smoke alarms.

“You can visit the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service website to organise a getting a free one fitted.”