A large blaze which destroyed a house in Essex started accidentally, fire chiefs have confirmed.
Fire crews spent more than three hours tackling the blaze at a detached property in Park Lane, Tolleshunt Knights, near Tiptree on Sunday afternoon.
Six crews, from Colchester, Mersea, Tiptree, Witham, Maldon, and Chelmsford, were called to the fire at 1.25pm and reported that both the ground and first floor were completely alight.
The roof of the property collapsed and the house was completely destroyed but no-one was injured, the fire service said.
After initial difficulties, firefighters were able to source a good water supply from a large pond nearby and used a high-volume pump to move the water to the scene.
The main blaze was extinguished by around 5pm but firefighters stayed on scene to dampen down the area in sections until it completely cooled.
Following an investigation, Essex Fire and Rescue Service confirmed today that the cause of the fire was accidental.
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