Smoke alarms alert residents to tumble dryer fire

A tumble dryer overheated causing a fire in the utility room

A fire caused by an overheated tumble dryer destroyed much of a utility room where the blaze happened.

It happened at a house in Weybourne Close, in Southend at about 18:45 BST on Saturday.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service said the residents' smoke alarms alerted them to the blaze and they were able to get out safely.

Crew manager Ricky Jones said: "The residents had left the room without proper ventilation causing [the tumble dryer] to overheat and set alight to items left on top of the dryer."

The room was not properly ventilated, causing the machine to overheat, the fire service said