THERE was a suspicious fire at the Baytree Shopping Centre in Brentwood last night (Tuesday).
At 7.44pm two local Essex County Fire and Rescue Service crews, one from Basildon and one from Ingatestone went to smoke in lift motor room at the centre in Crown Street.
Initially, two appliances were sent to the incident, but on arrival, the officer in charge requested the attendance of an additional crew and an aerial ladder platform from Basildon.
At 8.09pm crews reported that a heat protected staircase within the mall was heavily smoke logged.
Fire-fighters in breathing apparatus used two hose reels and a 135 ladder in the fire-fighting operation.
The fire was put out by 8.22pm when crews began ventilating the area.
A joint Police and Fire Service investigation will be carried out to establish the cause of the incident.