Essex firefighters continue to battle blaze which has killed two people
FIREFIGHTERS are continuing to tackle a fire in Saffron Walden that has claimed the lives of two people. Two fire crews from Saffron Walden, and one each from Newport and Thaxted, were called to the property in Mill Lane at 8.41am this morning. A fire se
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FIREFIGHTERS are continuing to tackle a fire in Saffron Walden that has claimed the lives of two people.
Two fire crews from Saffron Walden, and one each from Newport and Thaxted, were called to the property in Mill Lane at 8.41am this morning.
A fire service spokesman said the first floor of the semi-detached house was "well alight" on arrival but the fire has since spread to the roof of the two-storey building. Senior divisional officer Julian Ashley said that crews have been withdrawn from the building as it is structurally unsafe. Mill Lane has been blocked off to the public. ECFRS' Urban Search and Rescue team has been mobilised from Lexden to make the building safe before crews go back inside to search for a third person, who remains unaccounted for.
"The intensity of the fire has severely damaged the structure of the buildling," said SDO Ashley.
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"There are still pockets of fire in the roof but we have had to pull crews out because the building is unsafe. Once USAR has made the building safe we will resume our search for a third casualty believed to be inside.
"On arrival at the scene crews were faced with a well developed fire and 80 per cent of the building was alight. Firefighters have worked well in difficult conditions but there is significant damage to the building and it is unsafe for firefighters to now work inside."
No information has been made available relating to the casualties and the incident is ongoing. More details will be provided as they become available.
