Wimpy Southend: All we know about suspected arson blaze

Southend's seafront Wimpy has been gutted in a suspected arson attack.

Homes were evacuated after a blaze broke out at Wimpy, in Marine Parade, Southend, in the early hours yesterday.

Fire crews from Southend, Leigh, Rayleigh and Grays battled acrid, thick smoke and searing heat to tackle the flames at around 2.30am on Sunday.

The building was left structurally unsound by the time the flames were put out at 4.30am.

Police cordons were put in place to keep people away from the structure after the building’s roof completely caved in, along with some of the exterior walls on the first floor.

N Blaze - fire crews in Marine Parade (below) Picture: Wayne Masters

During the incident, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said fire crews were forced to evacuate nearby homes as a safety precaution.

The ordeal in the early hours has left some residents shaken, according to Labour Kursaal ward councillor Matt Dent.

“Whilst I’m a long way from an expert, the damage looks fairly severe to me,”he said.

“It doesn’t appear that other buildings have been affected.

“But the alleyway beside the Wimpy is the access for the cottages behind it.

“The residents of those cottages are unsurprisingly quite shaken by the events.

“It’s fortunate that nobody was harmed, and going forward I urge people to give the police whatever time, space and co-operation they need to get to the bottom of what has happened.

“In the meantime, I and the other Kursaal ward councillors, remain available to any residents affected who need support.”

Southend resident Wayne Masters was a ten-minute walk away from the fire when he was alerted by the smell of acrid smoke.

He said: “Everything was very calm by the time I had got down there.

“I was at home and thought I could smell a burning smell.

“It was quite plasticy, so I thought this can’t be good.

“When I arrived, the police had the road closed and firefighters were hosing down the roof.

Destruction - The damage - pic by Essex Fire Service

“The roof had collapsed in to the right-hand side flat and they were putting water directly onto the dividing wall to stop the fire spreading.

“It was all very calm and very professional,” he added. On arrival, they found fire on both the ground floor and first floor, which were completely alight, and the roof was also ablaze.

Using an aerial ladder platform, they extinguished the fire by 4.30am An investigation has now been launched by Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has brought in London Fire Brigade dog Simba and is also working with the police to establish the exact cause of blaze.

“We have evidence to suggest the fire was started deliberately,” a spokesman said.

Fire investigation officer Nick Singleton praised the fire crews from preventing the fire from spreading further.

READ MORE >>>

• Bogus election leaflets being delivered in Southend
• Southend councillor brands residents 'nimbys'
• Mid and South Essex: Drones to reduce carbon footprint

He said: “Crews worked really well to minimise damage to neighbouring buildings and prevent the fire from spreading.

“There may be some disruption in the area as parts of the building have been declared unsafe.

“Please bear with us as we work to make the area safe.”

Nearby residents were left shaken by the incident, which saw a large police cordon remain in place throughout Sunday.

Det Con Insp Jennifer Bliss said: “We want to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and may have seen something or someone who may have been acting suspiciously at the time. A few neighbouring properties were evacuated as a precaution whilst the fire brigade worked to extinguish the fire. We will remain on scene whilst we work with fire brigade colleagues to establish the cause of the fire.”

She added that no one was inside the building when the emergency services arrived.

Planning permission was granted in July last year for nine flats to be built on top of the Wimpy restaurant.

Despite opposition from neighbours who were “distressed” by the plan, developers were given the green light by Southend Council’s planning committee to demolish the existing floors above the Wimpy and build three new storeys.

We're offering a free one month trial to the Echo website this month. For all the latest south Essex news and fascinating features subscribe today. To find out more click here.