QUICK-thinking brothers who helped prevent a fire on a historic pier from spreading have spoken out about the blaze.

Car enthusiasts Jamie and Reece Lammas had parked near Ha’Penny Pier in Harwich on Sunday night for photographs of their vehicles when they noticed smoke in the distance.

Jamie, a 31-year-old serving in the Royal Anglian Regiment of the Army, realised the smoke was coming from the Victorian pier.

Fire - the flames on one of the pier's beams

On further investigation, Reece, a 24-year-old operational assistant at Manheim, decided to get a closer look and saw flames.

The pair, from Harwich, went on to the pier and saw a man on this phone who, they said, sounded as if he was on the phone to the emergency services.

Jamie said: “We quickly ran to investigate and could see a small flame inside the beam of the pier with a lot of smoke coming from it

“Reece went to go get some water bottles from his car and handed them to me as I was on the other side of the barrier standing on the burning beam so I could douse the heat source until help arrived.”

Water - Jamie pouring water over the source of the blaze

The pair soon ran out of water, so Reece cut off a boat’s water source at a nearby tap and quickly filled the bottles up.

Jamie said: “I knew the flames would come back anytime as soon as the wind hit the right place.

“By the time it took to refill the water bottles, the flames came back and moved further up inside the wooden beam, so I continued to extinguish the flames.

“Then some other youngster came from the distance to help with water bottles.”

Firefighters arrived within about 15 minutes and fully extinguished the blaze by 12.07am.

It is not yet known how the fire started and it has been recorded as accidental or deliberate by fire bosses.

Thurrock Gazette:

Skyview - Ha'Penny Pier from above

Fiona Brunning, communication manager for Harwich Haven Authority, launched an investigation on Monday to determine the cause of the fire.

CCTV footage from camera located across the pier is being reviewed.

She thanked members of the public as well as Essex County Fire and Rescue Service for their quick attendance to the fire.

No structural damage to the pier has been caused by the fire.