Woman dies in house fire in town

A woman died in the blaze that took hold in a house on the corner of Milton Road and Crescent Road

A woman has died in a house fire in Brentwood, police have confirmed.

More than 50 firefighters tackled the blaze at the semi-detached property in Milton Road, Warley, on Friday afternoon.

Essex Police said the woman died at the scene and a man was treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire at the house, close to Brentwood railway station, was being treated as non-suspicious, police added.

A police cordon remained in place around the property in Warley on Saturday

A second house sustained fire damage, but no-one there was injured, the force also said.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said crews wearing breathing apparatus tackled the fire inside the house, while firefighters on an aerial ladder worked to extinguish it from above.

A police cordon remained in place around the property on Saturday, blocking the road at its junction with Crescent Road.

Nearby residents were told to keep their windows and doors closed, due to the amount of billowing smoke