DOZENS of residents have been evacuated from their homes in a popular seaside town while firefighters tackle a major blaze.
Emergency crews rushed to attend the building fire in Clacton, Essex, in the early hours this morning.
The building in Clacton, Essex, was full alight in the early hours this morning
Locals have been advised to keep their windows and doors shut as plumes of smoke rise from the building on West Avenue.
Teams from seven local fire stations, including Weeley, Colchester and Chelmsford, were scrambled to the scene at around 12.35am.
Essex County Fire and Rescue confirmed the building was still fully alight just before 2am.
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.”
Premier Inn Clacton and Tendring District Council have set up a refuge centre for affected residents.
Essex Police were also called to the scene to assist firefighters as they tackled the blaze.
A spokesperson for the force said: “We are supporting our colleagues at the fire service who are leading on this incident.
“Please keep windows and doors shut and follow directions if you are being evacuated.”
Posting footage of the blaze on TikTok, one local 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 4 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.”
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