A family had a lucky escape after their smoke alarm alerted them to a fire.

Three fire crews were called to The Street, Galleywood at 10am this morning.

On arrival, fire crews reported that the property's fuseboard, located in the home's utility room, was alight.

After working hard to restrict the fire to the room, the fire was extinguished by 11am.

Firefighters then remained at the scene until 11.55am to ensure that the fuseboard did not reignite, before leaving the house in the care of the electricity board.

Station Officer Stuart Hay, Chelmsford Fire Station, said: "This incident highlighted exactly why having a smoke alarm in your home is so important. The occupants heard their alarm go off and were able to safely exit their home and call us out before it became more serious.

"They followed our advice perfectly: get out, stay out and call the fire service out. Fortunately, our crews were able to extinguish the fire relatively quickly and keep damage to a minimum."

The cause of the fire has been recorded as accidental.