RESIDENTS were forced to flee from their flats after an electrical fault sparked a late-night fire in Clacton.

The blaze broke out in a basement cupboard at Windermere Court – a three-storey block of seafront flats just off Marine Parade East.

It was caused by a faulty electrical supply in the basement at about 10.45pm on Monday.

Residents were evacuated into the street as two crews of firefighters from Clacton arrived.

They reported hearing about six small “explosions” as the electrical supply sparked and flames broke out.

The building was plunged into darkness as the power went out, only coming back on at about 3am.

Neighbour William Hones, who lives next door to Windermere Court, said: “I was just sitting in my front room when I heard the alarm going off.

“It sounded unusual so I stuck my head out the window and there was smoke everywhere, and people were running around outside.

“There are quite a lot of elderly residents there so I collected a few blankets to make sure they were okay while the firefighters were working.

“People said they heard explosions and saw sparks. It’s just good that nobody was hurt.”

Crews had extinguished any flames and made the building safe by 11.30pm.