Eight fire engines fought a garden fire in Collet Road, Kemsing, on Thursday night as it spread to sheds and trees. One person was checked by paramedics.

Eight fire engines were sent to Kemsing on Thursday evening after a garden fire in Collet Road spread to neighbouring gardens, sheds and trees. Kent Fire and Rescue Service told people living nearby to keep their windows and doors closed because of the smoke. (Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Garden fire in Kemsing)

The service’s log records the fire as reported at 19:59 on Thursday 3 September. Crews wearing breathing apparatus used hose reel jets and main jets to put out the flames.

One person was checked by paramedics from the South East Coast Ambulance Service as a precaution. No injuries were reported. The service’s Volunteer Response Team supported residents at the scene. (Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Garden fire in Kemsing)

Timeline of the Collet Road fire: reported at 19:59 on Thursday 3 September and spreading to neighbouring gardens, sheds and trees; eight fire engines attend through the evening and residents are told to close windows and doors; one person is checked by paramedics; the smoke advice is lifted at 04:30 on Friday 4 September
Graphic by Sevenoaks Online, from the fire service's incident updates.

An overnight operation

The incident ran well into the night. The service’s final update, timed at 04:30 on Friday morning, lifted the advice to keep windows and doors shut, more than eight hours after the first call.

The cause has not been established. “The cause of the fire is not yet known,” the service’s log records. We will report the outcome if the service publishes one. (Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Garden fire in Kemsing)

An eight-engine response is large for the district. The barn fire in Chestnut Avenue, Westerham, which we covered on 24 August, drew five engines plus specialist vehicles.

A trailer fire on the M25 the day before

The Collet Road fire was the service’s second callout in the district that week. On Wednesday 2 September a large trailer caught fire on the coastbound M25 between junction 5, for Sevenoaks, and junction 4. Two crews wearing breathing apparatus put it out with hose reel jets. The service’s log opens at 13:31 and closes at 16:04, and records no injuries. (Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Trailer fire on M25 near Sevenoaks)

What it means for residents

The advice to keep windows and doors closed near Collet Road was lifted at 04:30 on Friday and no longer applies.

Anyone affected by the fire was supported at the scene by the service’s Volunteer Response Team, which provides welfare support to residents during longer incidents. The service publishes its incident updates, including any further information on this fire, on its own log. (Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Garden fire in Kemsing)

Sources

Image: Collet Road, Kemsing by Chris Whippet, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph.