The only tenant in a Chelmsford terrace of Edwardian houses dozed in his flat as the derelict property next door became a roaring inferno.
Market greengrocer Paul Matthams, 53, was roused from his sleep by the sound of crackling next door in Brockley Road.
When he looked at the rear of the adjacent house at around 12.30am on Monday the boarded up windows were burning and by the time he had dressed to go and call firefighters because he has no phone, the flames were through the roof.
Firefighters from Chelmsford and Great Baddow tackled the blaze and 10 of them used breathing gear until the roof became unsafe and the Chelmsford-based aerial ladder platform was used to pour water down on to the fire.
Nobody was hurt in the incident.
Mr Matthams told This Is Essex that he has declined council offers of alternative accommodation away from the terrace the rest of which is boarded up and semi derelict apart from his home of 32 years.
"I suffer from ulcerated legs and my favourite pastime is fishing at the canal and River Chelmer which are close by," he said.
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