A FIREFIGHTER carried the body of a murder victim out of a burning flat just hours before she died, a court heard.

Yesterday, the firefighter gave evidence at Basildon Crown Court on the third day of the murder trial into the death of Elsie Pinder, 66, following a fire in Southchurch Road, Southend, on July 3 last year.

Her son, Andrew Wilding, is accused of setting fire to the home, which he shared with his mother, intending to kill her.

Giving evidence, the firefighter said: “I used my hose and pointed it at a hallway electrical cupboard where the fire was.

“Visibility was poor in the hallway and I used the hose to reduce the fire by about 20 per cent.

“When I got to the casualty’s bedroom, I went down to my hands and knees and another officer searched the area with thermal image camera.

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“The casualty was on the bed, with her feet on the floor and she was face up. I picked her up and she was limp.

“The room was heavily smoke logged and visibility was not good.

“I radioed to other officers to inform them we had found a casualty and the officer and I carried her out.

“I had to use my hose again to make the area safe enough to carry her out.”

He told the court, he and another firefighter carried the woman out of the heavily smoke-logged flat and left her in the care of the ambulance service.

He said he went back into the flat to look for other casualties, adding: “I had a warning that my breathing equipment’s oxygen levels were getting low and I was fatigued by this point.

“While outside the home, I briefed other fire officers about the fire.”

Earlier this week, the court heard that man, who lived above the flat, had attempted to rush in and save Ms Pinder after hearing her screaming out for her son.

Wilding, 42, of Southchurch Road, Southend, is charged with murder and arson being reckless to whether life was endangered.

The trial continues.