PHOTOS: Two homes affected by accidental fire

Firefighters were called to the scene of a house fire in Benfleet on Saturday morning.

On arrival crews reported that a semi-detached property was completely alight and that it had begun to spread to an adjacent home.

Crews used an Aerial Ladder Platform to allow them to reach the loft area of the building more easily and tackle the fire from above.

At 7.39am, the Incident Commander advised that the fire in the first home had been extinguished, but that the fire was continuing to burn in the second property.

At 8.20am, the Incident Commander reported that the fire was under control. To allow firefighting to continue safely, the electricity supply to the road has been temporarily suspended. Please avoid the area this morning.

The first property has been completely destroyed. One man suffered the effects of smoke inhalation and attended hospital as a precaution.

Following a fire investigation, we believe this fire was caused accidentally after embers from a fireplace ignited a nearby carpet.

Fire Investigator John Lloyd said: "Firefighters have done a brilliant job in responding so professionally to this incident. Fortunately no-one was injured.

"However, the incident has shown the risks associated with using an open fire - if you aren't using a fireguard or keeping the door closed when using a logburner, it can easily spark and set fire to other nearby materials.

"Never leave an open fire unattended - make sure it is fully extinguished at night."

You can find more chimney fire safety advice in a short video here.