An elderly woman has died following a blaze at a bungalow in Essex.
Firefighters were called to Kingsland Road, West Mersea, at 10.46am today and discovered a well-established fire.
Crews from West Mersea, Colchester and Tiptree attended and worked hard to extinguish the blaze by 11.27am.
A woman, aged in her 70s, died at the scene.
A stretch of Kingsland Road was closed temporarily, between Barfield Road and Yorick Road, and people were urged to avoid the area while emergency services worked at the scene.
Police were called by the fire service just before 11am.
The woman's death is being treated as unexplained at this stage, but is not believed to be suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.
In an update at 4.15pm, Essex Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the fire was recorded as accidental.
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