Fire crews rushed to an accidental fire in three storey office block.

Three crews were called to the incident in Southchurch Road, Southend at 6.23pm last night.

When crews arrived, the middle floor of the building was filled with smoke and a fire was burning within a filing room.

Crews used a positive pressure ventilation fan to clear the premises of smoke and were able to extinguish the fire by 7.55pm - managing to ensure the building escaped damage beyond the room the fire started in.

The cause of the fire has been recorded as accidental - we believe a faulty light fitting ignited and spread to some files below.

One man was left in the care of the Ambulance Service after attempting to tackle the fire with a fire extinguisher and suffering smoke inhalation, but fortunately, no-one has been seriously injured.