Firefighters tackle blaze at thatched home in Great Horkesley
Around 90% of the roof has had to be removed.
Firefighters from across Essex have been working to save a home from complete destruction in Great Horkesley after the thatched roof caught fire.
Crews from Colchester, Clacton, Wivenhoe, Coggeshall, Witham, Halstead, Weeley, Chelmsford, Tiptree, and Manningtree attended.
The service was called at around 1.30am on Saturday 20th November to School Lane.
On arrival, crews confirmed around 25% of the roof was alight.
A large number of firefighters were needed to manually strip away the thatched material, and by 6am had managed to removed roughly 90% of the roof.
By 6.30am, eight new fire crews had arrived to take over the scene.
As well as tackling the fire itself, crews worked with the homeowner to try and salvage property from inside the home.
The incident is now under control and being scaled down, but crews will remain on the scene through most of today to keep thatched material away from the fire and eliminate any hotspots.
Station Manager Craig McLellan helped to lead our response and said at 7am: "I'd like to thank our crews for their incredibly efficient response to this fire. This was a challenging incident in a very confined area, but they worked hard to bring this fire under control as quickly as possible.
"We were also grateful to have the support of the Salvation Army at the scene for refreshments and support for crews - which makes a genuine difference and isn't something we take for granted. I'd like to thank them for joining us on behalf of everyone who attended this incident.
"Crews will likely be at the scene for most of the day Saturday while we make sure the scene is completely safe. Thank you to everyone in the local area for your understanding."
An investigation is due to start this weekend to identify the cause of the fire, once the scene has fully cooled and all hotspots have been removed.