An arson investigation was today under way after a fierce blaze shattered the windows of a home.

Fire crews from Canvey and Hadleigh were called out yesterday afternoon after reports that a shed was alight in Lakeside Path, Canvey.

They arrived to find the hut burnt to the ground and flames licking the front of a ground floor flat.

Canvey leading firefighter Darren Driscoll said: "The wind was blowing the flames towards the flat.

"Firefighters in breathing apparatus went inside the building, which was heavily smokelogged, to search for anybody who might be inside. Fortunately the male owner was out."

The intense heat from the fire smashed the flat's windows and charred the frames and front door.

Ch Insp Dave King from Rayleigh police said: "If someone had been on the premises, their route of escape would have been blocked. If that person had died we may have been looking at a possible murder inquiry."

Was it arson? - firefighters sift through the wreckage

Picture: MAXINE CLARKE

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.