50 animals evacuated as fire starts in building next to Basildon vets

About 50 animals were evacuated after a building next door to a vets caught fire.

The blaze started next to Southfields Veterinary Specialists in Gardiners Lane South, Basildon, Essex. The fire service, police, paramedics and a power company were called - and although vets had managed to get every animal out, help was needed to shuttle the ill animals to another nearby vets so their treatment could continue.

The cause of the fire, which took hold just before 1.45pm on Thursday, is not suspicious.

Acting Inspector Kirsty Flynn, of Basildon Local Policing Team, said: “It doesn’t matter whether we receive a report of a crime in progress or a concern for welfare, priority one for us is protecting life and keeping the public safe. That isn’t just a promise to keep people safe, but animals too. We know all too well a pet is a family member and we recognised just how important it was to get these animals to another site so they could continue to receive care. This was a prime example of emergency services working as a team to ensure an effective response to a serious incident.”