Jaywick bungalow fire leaves couple homeless

Essex Fire Service crews from stations in Clacton and Weeley were called to Riley Avenue, in Jaywick, at 3.44pm on Sunday.

The trio of teams rushed to the scene after neighbours heard a blaring smoke alarm coming from a nearby property, which was empty at the time.

After extinguishing the inferno, since recorded as accidental, the occupants were rendered homeless due to extensive damage in the bungalow’s dining room.

One neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “We were all out in the street and we were very alarmed to see such a high fire and police presence.

“The majority of properties around here are made of timber so the worry was the fire would spread to several other properties.

“There is nobody in the bungalow at the moment but since the fire members of the community have come together to offer the couple curtains and clothing.”

Suzy Shimell, who suffers from polymyalgia rheumatoid arthritis, is the landlord of the bungalow and has owned it since 2013.

She says she has been left devastated by the destruction the fire has caused but is working with the occupants on how their living situation can now be rectified.

She added: “I cried a lot when I saw the state the bungalow was in and it was made worse because my illness - I cannot move very well so anything makes me cry.

“Once the assessor has been out we can get started but the tenants are working with us because they want to go back in as they love it there.”

Nick Singleton, station manager, has now praised his firefighters for taking quick action and preventing the blaze from inflicting further damage.

He said: “The crews did a really good job preventing the fire from spreading further but, unfortunately, a couple have been made homeless.

“But thanks to the fact they had a working smoke alarm, the neighbours heard and we could get there and stop the fire from spreading to other properties.”