Crews battle to keep fire from spreading to flats

Fire crews worked through the night to prevent a blaze at a derelict building spreading to a nearby block of flats.

The fire broke out shortly after 00:30 BST just off Park Lane in Harlow.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service said the "quick actions" of crews first on the scene "prevented the fire from spreading, protecting the block of flats nearby".

The roof of the building collapsed and a crew remained at the scene to damp down the area, it added.

Hertfordshire firefighters and crews from a number of stations in Essex were involved, and residents living near the scene were warned to keep doors and windows closed because of the large amount of smoke.

An aerial ladder platform and a drone were used by crews, and the fire was almost out by about 04:00, they said.

Essex Police set up a cordon and said an investigation into the cause of the fire would take place later.

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