A woman had to drag her partner out of a Stanway flat following a blaze.
Two fire crews from Colchester were called to the property in Charles Court, Wheatfield Road, at 7.55pm on Monday, following reports that people were trapped.
Sub-officer Pete Donovan said a couple had escaped by the time they had arrived, and that firefighters had rid the flat of fire and smoke by about 8.30pm, using one hose reel.
“When they went to bed it was smouldering away," he said, "but they hadn’t realised for half an hour that the flat was full of smoke.
He added that a functioning smoke alarm would have helped the couple evacuate the flat much earlier.
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