FIRE crews were called to a fire in an airing cupboard at a first floor flat in Mistley this afternoon.
Crews were alerted to the incident on School Lane at about 2.14 pm but the fire was extinguished 35 minutes later.
Fans were used to clear remaining smoke from the property. Watch Manager Ian Ryder said: "Thankfully the owners were alerted to the fire quickly because of their working smoke alarm.
"On discovering the fire the owners closed the airing cupboard door, got out of the property and called 999, which was the right thing to do.
"Because the airing cupboard door was closed it also limited the fire damage, with the rest of the room only suffering from slight heat and smoke damage."
Two crews from Colchester were sent to the scene as well as one from Dovercourt and one from Manningtree.
The cause of the fire has been recorded as accidental and is thought to have started because of an electrical fault.
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