Mystery surrounds a blaze which tore through a Canvey home while the owner was away on holiday.

Police were trying to track down the householder as fire investigators continued their probe into the blaze, which almost gutted the detached timber-framed house.

Eight firefighters needed breathing apparatus to tackle the fire at the house in Long Road. Two crews from the island's station, based just yards away, were joined by another two from Hadleigh as they fought the inferno.

The alarm was raised at about 2.30am on New Year's Eve. The first firefighters on the scene had to fight through thick mud and dense trees to get to the house.

They also had to contend with a number of disused vehicles, including a burnt-out car just in front of the entrance gates and an old double-decker bus thought to have featured in the Cliff Richard film Summer Holiday. The bus had been badly damaged in a previous blaze several months ago.

Once inside, the firemen found "an Aladdin's cave" of junk and old boxes along with larger items including a grand piano.

They initial suspected that people were inside but it was soon discovered that the owner was away for Christmas and the house was empty.

Canvey sub officer Steve Deal said: "When we arrived the front of the house was well alight. The fire seemed to have started downstairs and made its way up to the roof space."

The firefighters struggled to contain the flames as they spread quickly through the wooden-framed house.

Mr Deal added: "We had some difficulty with access into the premises due to the large amount of items stored inside. Because the property was of timber construction the fire was able to spread up the walls and into the roof space fairly fast.

Once the flames were out, the crews began the long process of damping down the property from outside. The fire had weakened the structure and burnt joists meant there was a risk the house could collapse.

Basildon station officer Bill Newton said: "It was like an Aladdin's cave of junk. There was all kinds of things lying around. The whole place is overgrown and there are trees right up to the house which made it extremely difficult."

A full investigation has begun to try and pinpoint what started the fire.

An Essex police spokesman said: "The fire is being investigated as possibly being started deliberately. It is believed to have started on a veranda and spread to the house.

"The owner was away at the time and the house was unoccupied. We are trying to locate the owner."

Gutted - firefighters battled to save this timber-framed building from the flames

(Right) Bus with a past? - Neighbour believe this bus is the one used in Cliff Richard's film, Summer Holiday

Pictures: ROBIN WOOSEY

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