Firefighters in Essex have tackled a bungalow blaze in Clacton which is believed to have been started deliberately.

Crews were called to the house in Holbrook Close at around 6.45pm today, Monday, October 2.

When firefighters arrived at the scene the bungalow was 70% alight and a man was still inside.

Sub Officer Kieran Warner, Clacton Fire Station, said: “My crews did a fantastic job of entering the property quickly to safely lead a man outside and then got to work on the fire.

“The fire had started outside, a couple of metres from the front door, after tyres and a chair had caught alight.

“It then spread rapidly to the porch roof and then the main roof and building.

“We worked to stop the fire spreading inside the building and had extinguished it by 8pm.

“Unfortunately, the bungalow still suffered smoke and fire damage and is now uninhabitable.”

The cause of the fire has been recorded as deliberate.