A dozen flats were evacuated after a bag of waste was set alight.
Firefighters were called to the flats, in Braintree on Saturday morning after the waste bag was set alight deliberately in a communal stairwell.
The flats were evacuated as a precaution due to the amount of smoke.
Firefighters worked to extinguish the flame by 12.36pm, before using positive pressure ventilation fans to clear the smoke from the building.
Thankfully no-one was injured and none of the flats were affected by fire.
Following an investigation, the fire is believed to have been started deliberately.
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