Essex Police save dozens of animals after fire breaks out next door

Essex Police have rescued dozens of animals from a veterinary surgery after the building next door caught fire.

Officers had been called to reports of a fire at a property on Gardiners Lane South in Basildon on Thursday (April 18th).

First responders arrived on the scene to find that business premises next door to a veterinary surgery had caught fire and as a result, fire brigades from the Essex Fire and Rescue service were called in.

As well as this, colleagues from the UK Power Networks and East of England Ambulance Service also attended the scene to provide extra help.

At the Southfields Veterinary Specialists service next door, some fifty animals had been inside requiring treatment.

Thanks to the direction from the emergency services, staff at the vets were able to rescue every animal and safely evacuate them from the building.

Once responders gave immediate assessments of the situation, many of the animals were then taken to nearby treats to receive their necessary treatment.

Following this, Essex Police has deemed that the cause of the fire is now "non-suspicious".

Speaking on the matter, Acting Inspector Kirsty Flynn, from Basildon's Local Policing Team, said that this incident reinforces officers' commitment to serving the public.

"It doesn’t matter whether we receive a report of a crime in progress or a concern for welfare, priority one for us is protecting life and keeping the public safe," she explained.

"That isn’t just a promise to keep people safe, but animals too. We know all too well a pet is a family member and we recognised just how important it was to get these animals to another site so they could continue to receive care.

"This was a prime example of emergency services working as a team to ensure an effective response to a serious incident."

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.