Heroic St Osyth care home worker puts out bathroom fire

Firefighters, police officers and paramedics were called to Wellwick House, in Colchester Road, St Osyth, on Sunday evening.

The home is an adapted residential property and specifically accommodates up to six people with learning difficulties and or autism spectrum disorder.

The emergency services received reports that a blaze had started inside the ‘good’ rated nursing home at about 5pm and immediately rushed to the scene.

Upon arriving eyewitnesses say police officers shut-off the road parallel to the complex resulting in drivers having to find alternative routes.

Picture: John Harvey 

Once inside, however, the emergency services established a fast-acting staff member had managed to extinguish the bathroom fire themselves.

Due to their swift action, despite the dangers posed by the inferno, nobody was injured, but one resident has been moved to another home while repairs take place.

St Osyth resident Nicole Stafford said: “A few people I know live close and they told me there were police, ambulances and fire crews – but thankfully nobody was hurt.”

Martin Lyne, supporting managing director of TLC Care, which runs Wellwick House, has now praised the facility’s employees for how they handled the situation.

He said: “I would like to thank the emergency services for their rapid response and we are pleased that no one was hurt.

“I would also like to praise our staff for the calm and professional way in which they handled this matter. We will now await the outcome of the investigation.”

Firefighters from the Essex Fire Service are now continuing to work to establish the cause of the inferno.

A spokeswoman for the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said: “Firefighters were called to a fire at a residential care home in Colchester Road, St Osyth at 4:48pm on Sunday.

“The fire had been extinguished prior to crews arriving and firefighters helped to make the scene safe.

“An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing."