A huge inferno has engulfed the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea as firefighters evacuated local residents to a nearby "refuge centre".
The blaze broke out at a building on West Avenue on the Essex coast in the early hours of the morning.
Emergency services rushed to the street, which includes 16 properties at an average price of £202,667, at 12.35am.
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Locals have been advised by Essex Fire & Rescue to keep their windows and doors shut as plumes of smoke soared into the night's sky.
Crews from Clacton, Dovercourt, Manningtree, Weeley, Colchester, Tiptree and Chelmsford were called to respond to the blaze.
The building was still fully alight just before 2am, Essex County Fire & Rescue Service later said.
Pictures showed residents in a state as shock as the emergency services battled the blaze.
However, firefighters managed to extinguish the fire at around 7am this morning.
Crews from Clacton, Dovercourt, Manningtree, Weeley, Colchester, Tiptree and Chelmsford have been at the scene | ESSEX COUNTY FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE
A photo released by the service after the flames were put out revealed that the building had been destroyed.
A vehicle parked next to the building was also incinerated during the blaze.
West Avenue was closed in both directions due to the fire, with further cordons being put in place between Pier Avenue and Jackson Road.
There was also travel disruption on the Greater Anglia service between Clacton-on-Sea and Thorpe-le-Soken.
The aftermath of the blaze in Clacton
|ESSEX COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE
Incident Commander Nick Singleton said: "Crews have worked hard to surround the fire.
"We will be remaining here for a significant time during the day to make sure the fire is fully extinguished.
"Jackson Road, Penfold Road and Agate Road will be shut and experience disruption while our crews remain at the incident.
"Thank you to our emergency services colleagues who have helped us safety evacuate nearby residents."
Footage of the blaze was shared on social media
|TIKTOK
Officers from Essex Police were also called to the scene to assist firefighters.
Following the incident, local MP Nigel Farage said: "Emergency services did a great job evacuating 92 people to safety after a huge fire in Clacton town centre.
"Eighty of the residents have now returned to their homes. Thankfully, at this stage there are no casualties. Let’s hope it stays that way."
Tendring District Council has decided to set up a refuge centre for displaced residents at a nearby Premier Inn.
A photo of the Premier Inn hotel in Clacton
|PREMIER INN
The Premier Inn hotel in Clacton is located less than half-a-mile away from West Avenue on Marine Parade West.
In footage posted on TikTok, one local resident said: "I live near here and I was evacuated from my home.
"I ran to my neighbouring houses banging on doors screaming at people to get out.
"I helped clear four houses next to mine including my own. I did what I had to.
"I hope everyone is safe. This is as much as I got before my ride showed up and I left the area."