FIRE crews from Basildon were involved in two separate incidents on Saturday (18 February) that saw men rescued from burning buildings.

The first incident happened just before noon when crews were called to a roof fire in Great Gregorie where a man carrying out repair work on the roof had suffered burns and needed rescuing.

Firefighters used an aerial ladder platform and worked alongside colleagues in the ambulance service to safely rescue the man.

He was left in the care of the ambulance service after the fire was extinguished by 11:58am.

Around 12 hours later crews were called to a flat fire in High Barrets at 11:25pm.

On arrival, crews reported that a ground floor flat was heavily smoke logged and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the flat and rescued a man.

Again, he was left in the care of the ambulance service.

The fire was extinguished by 12.40am. The cause of the fire was accidental.

Crew Manager Finn Tubby from Basildon Fire Station said: "We'd like to thank the man's neighbours for their quick response in calling us when they heard smoke alarms going off. They helped to save the man's life.

"Smoke alarms save lives. Not only do they alert you to a fire in your home but they also alert neighbours or passers by and it's so important to act quickly if you hear smoke alarms going off.

"If your smoke alarms go off at home, please get out of the house, stay out and call us. If you hear someone else's smoke alarms going off, please don't hesitate to call us, you could be saving someone's life."

"We recommend you have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of your home and that you test them regularly. If you or someone you know hasn't got working smoke alarms. our team can fit them for free. Visit our website or call 0300 303 0088."