Five young children and their parents have been made homeless just days before Christmas by a blaze at their Basildon home.
Firefighters were forced to use breathing equipment as they battled to bring the fire, at Malyons, Pitsea, under control.
The blaze broke out in the roof void at the front of the family home, covering the front of the house.
The family escaped the house uninjured before the fire engines - two from Basildon and a back-up pump from Hadleigh - arrived.
Although furniture and possessions were unharmed by the fire, damage to ceilings meant the house had to be closed for safety checks.
The house is owned by the Basildon Community Housing Association, which is controlled by Swan Housing.
Swan PR officer Anne-Marie Guiver said: "We are re-housing them in another property and are paying their moving costs."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Damaged - firefighters at the scene of the blaze
Picture: NICK ANSELL
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