A FIRE started in a block of flats in Southend after two people were arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty.

A 23-year-old man from Southend and a 17-year-old teenager from Mitcham, Surrey, were arrested at a property in Quantoc flats, in Chichester Road, just after 2.30am on Friday.

More than 20 firefighters were called to the third-floor flat just before 7am, in case the building needed to be evacuated, after a frying pan left on the cooker set alight. Rose Chapman, a resident on the third floor, said: “Early this morning I heard people banging up the stairwells and trying to kick the door in, and the next thing I knew, two neighbours were calling to sayafire had broken out.

“I didn’t get any sleep last night with what’s been going on.

"I love living in this block, but it’s frightening when things like this happen.”

A spokesman from Southend fire service said: “It seems as though a frying pan had caught alight, and it has charred the back of the cooker. The fire was already out when we arrived, so we opened windows in order to ventilate the property.”

Police were unable to give details of the arrests. The two men have been released on bail until Monday, September 23.