Essex crews tackle field fire which saw homes evacuated

The crews have been working to extinguish a field fire in Hollow Lane, Broomfield, affecting approximately 37 hectares of stubble and hedgerows.

Sixteen crews from Witham, Southend, Chelmsford, Rayleigh Weir, Hawkwell, Maldon, Grays, Brentwood, Basildon, Corringham WB, Braintree, Stansted and Leaden Roding attended.

Firefighters have contained the fire and are working to extinguish it.

They have been working with farmers to dampen down surrounding hedgerows to prevent the fire from spreading further and towards houses.

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Essex Police also confirmed some homes had to be evacuated due to the fire.

A spokesman at the time said: "We are on scene dealing with a large fire in a field in Broomfield with colleagues from ECFRS. 

"Some properties have had to be evacuated due to this. There are also several road closures in place so please avoid the area."

Photo shows the field scorched by the fire. Photo: Essex Fire and Rescue

One outbuilding was affected by the fire and crews worked to prevent it spreading to a nearby house.

Area Manager Danny Bruin said: “Crews have worked tirelessly while they’ve been here since 2pm in very hot temperatures. They’ve managed to protect surrounding properties. The fire is under control and we’re currently monitoring hotspots.

“We’re looking to release crews soon and are in a position to scale this incident down. We expect to remain on scene for a few more hours if you could continue to avoid the area please. A fire investigation will take place to establish what caused the fire.

“The farmers have been on the field supporting us and we’d like to thank them for their help in these hot conditions.

"Thank you to our police, ambulance and Salvation Army colleagues who are all here supporting us, keeping people safe and keeping everyone hydrated.

"It’s been a good team effort."