A FAMILY of five from Bulphan fled their house after being alerted to a fire in the roof by smoke alarms.

The incident happened yesterday (Friday, 4 March) at around 7.30pm at the detached village home. Firefighters from Orsett and Basildon rushed to the scene and found the property was heavily smoke logged with a fire in the roof.

They requested the additional help of crews at Basildon and Brentwood as well as an aerial ladder platform from Grays. Crews extinguished the fire by 9:42pm. An investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of the fire.

The family of five had escaped the property when their smoke alarms went off and they could smell smoke.

Incident Commander Syd Barrett said: "This incident really highlights why it's so important to have working smoke alarms in your home.

"Working smoke alarms save lives. We recommend you have one on every level of your home and that you test them regularly."

The fire service offer a free fire alarm fitting service. Find out more via this link.