An electrical fault in a light fitting caused a late night roof blaze, leaving one family homeless.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) were called out to a large detached house in Ladywell Lane, Chelmsford at 10.25pm last night (Friday, April 21).
Two crews from Chelmsford spent the almost an hour battling the blaze before putting it was extinguished at 11.10pm.
The damage has left the house uninhabitable. A family of four were forced to evacuate after calling 999.
An ECFRS spokesman said: "The alarm was raised by the occupants who noticed smoke coming from a light fitting in the ceiling. The family of four immediately evacuated the house and called 999.
"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus went into the house and managed to quickly extinguish the fire by 11.10pm.
"The roof has been badly damaged by the fire, and the first floor has suffered water damage, including damage from the water tank which was in the loft space and spilt during the fire.
"The house is not habitable."
He added: "The cause of the fire was found to be an electrical fault in a light fitting."
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