A RESIDENT has been praised by firefighters for a timely call to an incident.

The control room at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service received a call from a worried resident who had seen smoke coming from a roof near Spital Road on the evening of Sunday, April 7.

Two crews from Maldon, a crew from Chelmsford and an aerial ladder platform were sent to the scene.

Upon arrival, firefighters found the roof of the building was alight.

Gary Bannister, watch manager, said: “Crews did a great job getting into the building and locating the fire quickly.

“We’d like to thank the resident that called to alert us about the fire, as a few more minutes and the roof would have been completely destroyed.

“Following a fire investigation, we believe the fire was caused by an electrical fault.”