Six crews were sent to the fire in a three-storey building in Church Hill, Loughton, at about 11.30 pm on Saturday. Essex Fire & Rescue Service reported a “well-developed fire” damaging the ground level and offices in the two storeys above. The fire was put out by 1.15am, however, a portion of the road remains closed. According to Essex Fire and Rescue Service, the fire was put out “quickly.” Kev Jenner, station manager, stated: “The adjacent flats were swiftly evacuated, and staff worked tirelessly to prevent the fire from spreading to these buildings. Firefighters entered the structure to fight the fire while also extinguishing it from the outside. “I’d want to commend the personnel; they performed an outstanding job in bringing this event to a quick finish.” Residents were permitted to return to their homes once the fire had been out, and personnel stayed on the scene to dampen down and check for hotspots. A section of Church Hill will be closed until Sunday morning as the fire department investigates the cause. A business building in Loughton has caught fire.
