Homes were evacuated after a huge building fire in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, in the early hours of Monday morning. Firefighters were callled to the scene on West Avenue in the town centre at around 00.35am.

Essex Country Fire and Rescue Service said the building was “fully alight” and nearby residents were evacuated, with the local council setting up a refuge centre in a hotel. People in the area were told to keep all windows and doors shut due to the smoke from the huge blaze. Three roads were closed as crews tackled the fire which has now been extinguished.

Incident Commander Nick Singleton said crews will “remain at the scene to monitor and dampen down any hotspots”.

He said: “I’d like to say a big thank you to the crews who worked extremely hard to stop the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.

“As well as a thank you to our emergency services partners for their help, the Premier Inn for providing a refuge centre and local residents for being patient with us while we deal with the incident.”

Clacton MP Nigel Farage praised the emergency services, saying they did “a great job”.

The Reform UK leader said 92 people were evacuated to safety, adding 80 of the residents have since returned to their homes.

He said: “Thankfully, at this stage there are no casualties. Let’s hope it stays that way.”

A photo released by the service after the flames were put out shows the building and a van parked next to it destroyed.

An investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out “when it is safe to do so”, said Commander Singleton.

It is understood the fire ripped through a furniture shop and mobility scooters store.

Crews from stations across the area were deployed to the scene, with Essex Police also in attendance.