A family has been left homeless after their house burnt down in the early hours of Boxing Day.

A fierce blaze ripped through the house in Handley Green, Basildon, as a family of four were sleeping. But they managed to escape thanks to a smoke alarm, said a fire officer.

The family managed to get out on their own as two fire crews from Basildon were called by neighbours.

They arrived in minutes but it took nearly an hour to get the flames under control.

Mark Samuels, a station officer at Basildon, said: "The fire was an extensive one and has gutted the house.

"Our Red watch deserves special credit - they were fighting the fire for two hours and it took around 50 minutes to get it under control - it spread right through the property.

"The dad of the family woke just as the smoke alarm went off and luckily he managed to get his wife and children outside as the two Basildon crews arrived."

Mr Samuels believes the smoke detector helped save their lives. He said: "This incident again stresses the importance of smoke detectors - they are without doubt life savers."

"It was lucky the father woke up when he did.

"The sound of the alarm certainly helped to alert the rest of the family to the danger and therefore helped them to escape swiftly.

"I can't stress enough how important it is for every household to have smoke detectors fitted - and to ensure they are working properly."

Mr Samuels confirmed that the cause of the fire was officially unknown and is being investigated - he believes it was caused through a fault with the family's electric meter.

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