AN ELDERLY man was rescued from a bungalow after a passer-by spotted the Southend home on fire.

Fire crews from Southend and Rayleigh Weir raced to the scene of the fire in Trinity Road, Southend, after receiving a call at about 11.45am on Friday.

When they arrived they found a passer-by had already gone into the bungalow to rescue the man.

Firefighters managed to put out the blaze in about 15 minutes and used a high pressure fan to get rid of the smoke, which had filled the property.

John Tidbury, Southend fire station officer, said: "A man was walking by the bungalow at the time of the fire and rescued an elderly man who lived in the property.

"The resident had come out of the bungalow when the fire started and then went back inside the smoke filled property.

"The passer-by walked into the home and rescued the elderly man and brought him to safety until the fire service arrived. Thankfully no one was hurt."