FIRE crews have praised a woman for taking fire precautions which prevented her house burning down.

An electrical fault in a clock radio is believed to have started a fire in a house in Kenilworth Gardens, Westcliff.

Before the resident went out she had closed all her doors so by the time she arrived home at 1.15pm on Thursday the fire had burnt out and was smouldering.

Southend fire station officer Steve Parker said: "The main bedroom was gutted. The lady had shut all the doors so it was starved of oxygen so was just smouldering when we got there. She had done all the right things including having a smoke alarm."
 

Crews from Leigh and Hawkwell also attended.

The woman had managed to grab her cat before escaping and calling firefighters who gave her Saimese cat oxygen.