FIREFIGHTERS were called to a fire at the alleyway at the rear of a large soft play centre in Basildon which may have been started deliberately.

Monkey Madness in Pipps Hill, Basildon, was on fire last night, April 28, and when crews arrived they reported the fire was quickly developing and had spread inside the building.

Firefighters immediately got into the building and got the fire surrounded.

READ MORE >> Monkey Madness in Basildon on fire with crews in attendance

Mark Blakebrough, watch manager at Essex Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Firefighters worked really hard to stop the fire from spreading to the rest of the building and the building next door.

"The soft play centre has suffered damage to the rear of the building and inside the rear stock and boiler rooms, but most of the building was thankfully unaffected.

"Outside, there was a pile of old sofas and furniture which looked like they were waiting to be disposed of. This is where we believe the fire was started.”

Crews from Basildon, Wickford, Corringham and Chelmsford attended the scene to deal with the fire.

Mr Blakebrough added: “The police are investigating the possibility that this fire could have been started deliberately.

"I would urge anyone that knows how this fire started to report it to FireStoppers. FireStoppers is a completely independent charity that is anonymous."

If you have information on this fire please call FireStoppers on 0800 169 5558 or submit an online report by visiting forms.theiline.co.uk/firestoppers.