People made homeless after devastating fire caused by portable heater

A home in Clacton has been left uninhabitable due to fire and smoke damage after a horrific fire last night (November 18) which destroyed a bedroom. Firefighters extinguished a bedroom fire in Clacton after a portable heater fell over and set fire to the carpet, which spread to the bed.

Crews from Clacton were called to an incident near Spinnaker Close, Clacton last night at 6.54pm. When they arrived they found a well developed fire in the bedroom.

Firefighters worked quickly to extinguish the fire and ventilate the property. Watch Manager Dave Garratt said: “The resident was unaware that the fire was in their property until they opened the bedroom door.

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"This just shows how important it is to keep doors closed if you can. The fire was contained to the bedroom because the door was shut.

"The cause of the fire was a portable heater which had fallen and caught the carpet alight. This then spread to the rest of the bedroom.

"As the weather gets colder, we know that a lot of people will be using portable heaters to keep warm. Please be cautious when using portable heaters to heat your home.

"Make sure you use them on flat surfaces, at least one metre away from anything flammable, and avoid leaving them on overnight.” Unfortunately, the home has been deemed inhabitable due to fire and smoke damage.

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