Braintree: Officers run to protect public as fire rips through homes

PC Katie Wilshire and PCSO Terri Johnson from Braintree Neighbourhood Policing Team were first on the scene as a shed fire spread to a semi-detached property in Braintree, causing extensive damage.

The pair ran from the town centre and made sure there were no people unaccounted for before closing the road and evacuating neighbouring houses.

As they were joined by Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and the East of England Ambulance Service, the officers and their NPT colleagues managed the scene as crowds gathered on the busy residential streets.

PC Katie Wilshire said:

“I was out on patrol with PCSO Terri Johnson near George Yard when we smelt burning, which we thought might have been a bin fire.

“We started to see smoke and went round to the back of the Salvation Army building, but the smoke got thicker, and it quickly became clear this was a serious incident.

“Thinking there may be people who needed help, I climbed over a six-foot wall and ran across Progress Court and down Panfield Lane with PCSO Johnson following.

“When we got to the scene, the fire was escalating and there were members of the family on the grass in front of the house.

“I checked there was nobody else inside and moved the family away from the blaze while PCSO Johnson closed the road.

“We evacuated the surrounding properties and were soon joined by NPT colleagues and the fire and ambulance services.

“It’s our job to run towards danger but we were just happy that everyone escaped. This was an intense fire that spread quickly but we got the scene under control as our emergency services colleagues tackled the blaze.

“This was obviously a traumatic event for the owners of the houses and we did our best to support them and keep them safe.”

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