A fire investigation has ruled that the blaze which destroyed the King's Head pub in Bradwell on Friday evening was an accident. 

The blaze is understood to have been sparked by an industrial fryer left unattended in advance of evening service, according to Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.

Fire fighters working at the scene were today praised for their work in protecting heritage buildings close to the pub blaze.

Incident commander Assistant Divisional Officer Dave Moore has also praised the efforts of a local farmer who brought much-needed water to the scene at the height of the blaze.

He said: "Bradwell has some of the oldest historical buildings in the country and the pub on the High Street sits at the heart of some very old properties.

"Crews did an excellent job in protecting the village heritage - they worked quickly and under great pressure, not only to tackle the blaze but in making sure surrounding risks were protected.

"We owe particular thanks to a local farmer - with low water supplies in the area, he played a critical role in delivering water to the scene when it was needed most. In fact the entire community were fantastic, supporting crews in their work."

Divisional Officer Lee Lucas, who headed the fire investigation, said although the cause was accidental, there were lessons to be learned from the cause of the fire.

"It appears the owners of the pub were preparing for evening service. They cleaned out the industrial chip pan, refilled it and then went up to watch the golf, propping open a fire door. All these things added up - the distraction, leaving cooking unattended and finally the importance of closed doors to prevent fire spread."

ECFRS has been campaigning about the dangers of kitchen fires and has recently taken advertising on local buses to warn of the dangers of distraction. More than half of all fires in the county start in the kitchen and 30 per cent involve someone cooking.