A woman has been made homeless after fire severely damaged her Rayleigh home.

Firefighters today repeated their warnings for residents to be vigilant after it was found the blaze was started by a candle.

The woman living in the three-bedroom semi-detached house in Leslie Gardens escaped before crews arrived.

Four firefighters used breathing apparatus to tackle the blaze which was started when a lighted candle on top of the television set fell over.

Firefighter Steve James said: "The young woman had gone to bed but luckily woke up when she smelt smoke."

"With Christmas approaching and more people using candles, we would like to warn them to be very careful and ensure they never leave them lighted and extinguish them properly when they go out of the room.

"Candles are risky at any time of year but at Christmas when they form part of the decorations, they can be even more of a hazard."

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