A fire broke out inside a tanning salon near the ASDA supermarket in Shoeburyness, sending thick black smoke billowing into the air and prompting a swift response from emergency services.
The blaze, which started shortly before 1pm, caused significant smoke and water damage to the salon.
Chelsie Mullaly was using one of the sunbeds at the time. She described her experience: “I literally just missed this fire – my sunbed shut off one minute early, and then I saw black smoke in my room. Ten minutes later, I heard about the fire! I’m unsure if it was the bed I was on.”
Three firefighter crews rushed to the scene and quickly extinguished the flames. Thankfully, no one was injured.
The salon owner, Russell Speller, said: “It was an electrical lighting problem above the ceiling, causing lots of smoke and water damage. Nobody was hurt, and our fantastic team evacuated the salon swiftly. The fire brigade arrived quickly and put the fire out.”
Speller also confirmed that new equipment had already been ordered, and the salon would undergo a full refit to restore its services as soon as possible.