Clubbers ‘heroes’ over fire alert
Two men who raised the alarm over a blaze at a block of flats in Essex have been hailed heroes by fire crews.

The pair were on their way home from a nightclub in Southend, early on Sunday, when they saw the fire in the porch of the Bournemouth Park Road property.

“If it hadn’t been for these two men the fire could have raged on and claimed lives,” Neil Fenwick, of Essex fire service, said.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is taking place.

“These two young men are heroes and deserve the thanks of everyone who lives in that building,” Mr Fenwick said.

“As they were walking home they saw smoke and flames coming out of the porch and one of them called in the fire service while the other broke a window to gain entry to the building and then alerted all of the residents that there was a fire.

“There were no smoke alarms and everyone was asleep and would have been completely unaware of the fire, perhaps until it was too late.”