A CLACTON house has been left uninhabitable after a portable heater fell over and caused a fire.

Firefighters tackled a bedroom fire after the heater fell over and set fire to the carpet, which spread to the bed. 

Crews from Clacton were called to the incident near Spinnaker Close on Monday (November 18) at 6.54pm. 

When firefighters arrived they found a well developed fire in the bedroom.

The crew worked quickly to extinguish the fire and clear smoke from the property. 

The property was left uninhabitable due to fire and smoke damage.

Watch manager Dave Garratt said: “The resident was unaware that the fire was in their property until they opened the bedroom door.

"This just shows how important it is to keep doors closed if you can. The fire was contained to the bedroom because the door was shut. 

"The cause of the fire was a portable heater which had fallen and caught the carpet alight. This then spread to the rest of the bedroom."

Mr Garratt urged people to be careful when using portable heaters as winter approaches.

He said: "As the weather gets colder, we know that a lot of people will be using portable heaters to keep warm.

"Please be cautious when using portable heaters to heat your home. Make sure you use them on flat surfaces, at least one metre away from anything flammable, and avoid leaving them on overnight.”