A MOTHER and her four children have been forced to flee their home after a tumble dryer caught fire.

Two crews from Southend, one from Leigh and another from Shoebury were called to the blaze in the kitchen of a third floor flat on Fortune Steps, Kursaal Way at 5.17pm yesterday. The fire was extinguished by 5.45pm after crews used one main jet and one hose reel jet to tackle the blaze.

However the corridor on the third floor of the building was heavily smoke logged and firefighters advised residents to stay in their flats with the doors closed.

The resident of the flat where the dryer caught fire, who asked not to be named, was not able to return with her children - the youngest is a newborn and the eldest is 11 - due to the damage.

She said:“We’re not allowed to go back in tonight, so they’re sorting us out somewhere else to stay. I’m waiting to hear how bad the damage is.

“The tumble dryer wasn’t even running - my children were filling it up to put it on and smoke started coming out. There wasn’t much initially, but I flicked the switch off and called the fire brigade.

“I sent my eldest down to let the fire crew in. By the time they got here the kitchen was really filling up with smoke, but there weren’t any flames. I assume it must’ve just been an electrical fault.”