Westcliff: Investigation into West Road fire

We’re investigating a fire at a shop in Westcliff which was reported to us shortly after 1am this morning, Tuesday 20 June.

We were called to West Road by colleagues at Essex County Fire and Rescue who had been able to extinguish the fire, which had spread towards the flats on the first floor of the property.

The building was evacuated whilst the incident was dealt with. Thankfully, there were no reports of any injuries.

Initial investigations have led us to believe it had been started deliberately.

We’ve spoken to a number of witnesses to gain their accounts and we’re continuing to appeal to anyone who witnessed the incident, or has dashcam, doorbell or CCTV footage of it to come forward.

You can let us know by submitting a report on our website or by using our online Live Chat service available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 10am-9pm.

Visit www.essex.police.uk/digital101 to find out more about our website reporting services.

Alternatively, you can call us on 101. In an emergency always call 999.

Please cite incident 52 of 20 June.

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