Bungalow fire

Firefighters are highlighting the importance of having working smoke alarms after a bungalow fire in Clacton last night. 

Crews were called to Leas Road, Clacton at 10:33pm after the resident called for help when a cigarette caught a chair alight. 

On arrival, crews reported that the bungalow was heavily smoke logged and extinguished the fire. 

A woman was left in the care of the Ambulance Service. 

The bungalow has been heavily smoke damaged. 

Crew Manager Sam Mussett from Clacton Fire Station said: “While there were smoke alarms in the home, they were faulty and this is why they didn’t go off. 

“Luckily, the resident had been awake and spotted the fire herself. If she’d been asleep or not home, those smoke alarms wouldn’t have gone off and this is why we recommend people test their smoke alarms regularly. 

“Test them each week if you can and if they’re not working, we can replace them for free. Please get in touch with our home fire safety team at essex-fire.gov.uk/book.”