Members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) have walked out of work as part of a three-day strike over job cuts.
Firefighters began the strike at 9am this morning and manned picket lines at a number of fire stations, including Colchester.
The dispute is over changes to control room shifts and proposals for job cuts at firefighter level.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said its resilience arrangements would provide a safe level of cover during the dispute, due to end at 6pm on Friday.
A working crew dealt with a loft fire in a house in Berechurch Hall Road, Colchester, at 9.53am today.
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