An elderly woman has died following a house fire in Kelvedon despite the efforts of neighbours.

Three fire crews were called to the scene in Church Road at 12.51am this morning after residents heard fire alarms.

After calling 999, neighbours tried to get inside the home to save the lady but one neighbour, who did not want to be named, said nothing could be done.
She said: “We tried to get inside but there we just couldn’t - the smoke was just too thick so we had to wait for the fire brigade.”

When firefighters arrived they found a fire in a bedroom on the ground floor but sadly the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

John Hudd, who has lived in Church Road for more than 70 years, said the lady was housebound and had been receiving support from care staff.

Mr Hudd said: “I didn’t know her personally but she had carers in everyday and her husband died in the past six months or so.

“She was completely confined to the house.

“We’ve had the police here this morning but I didn’t know that she had died.”

The cause of the fire is not being treated as suspicious and an investigation to find what caused the fire is underway.

A spokesman for the East of England Amabulance Service said: "An ambulance crew, an ambulance officer, two rapid response vehicle and a Hazard Area Response Team Vehicle attended this incident following a call just after 12:52 am last night.

"Sadly a woman died at the scene.

"Three patients were assessed at the scene for smoke inhalation but did not require transport to the hospital."

Here is a video taken at the scene in Church Road, Kelvedon, this morning: