Firefighters have tackled a blaze in a high rise building near Basildon town centre. 

Crews were called to a high rise building in Cherrydown East, Basildon at 10:34pm last night.

On arrival, Essex Fire reported the there was a fire on the 6th floor, so crews entered a flat and extinguished a blaze in the kitchen.

Firefighters believe the fire was caused by cooking oil that had caught alight.

Crew manager, Ricky Jones, from Basildon Fire Station, said: “Cooking oil can overheat quickly and catch alight so it is really important to keep a close eye on it at all times.

"If the oil starts to smoke, it’s too hot and you need to safely remove it from the heat.

“We would like to thank the residents of the flats for following the building’s stay put policy in the event of a fire.

"This meant we could get up to the 6th floor quickly and get crews into the flat.

"Our firefighters worked quickly to contain the fire and smoke to the kitchen area which prevented damage throughout the flat.”

Essex Fire has issued safety advice when cooking with hot oil following the blaze. 

  • Take care when cooking with hot oil – it sets alight easily.
  • Never leave cooking unattended.
  • Make sure food is dry before putting it in hot oil so it doesn’t splash If the oil starts to smoke – it’s too hot.
  • Turn off the heat and leave it to cool.
  • Use a thermostat controlled electric deep fat fryer. They can’t overheat If your pan catches fire, turn off the heat if it is safe to do so.
  • Never throw water or a damp tea towel over it.