A HEROIC passer-by has spoken of the moment he leapt into action when he saw flames rising up the side of a house and threatening to take hold of a home.

George Gilbert, 20, had stopped off at a 24-hour garage during a session of night fishing at Doggetts Farm Fishery, in Doggetts Close, Rochford, when he spotted the fire in nearby The Drive.

The blaze started in some wheelie bins and the flames were climbing the front of the house at about 2.45am yesterday.

Mr Gilbert, of The Russets, Rochford, and his two friends rushed to the home and began banging on the door to alert the occupants.

He said: “I knew that there were going to be people asleep in there and the flames were going up the side of the house, close to the car.

“We had to move the car before it exploded.

“There was a pram out the front and that caught on fire as well.

“We were ringing 999.

“A man came to the door, he seemed a bit in shock.

“It was all a bit manic. I dread to think what would have happened if I hadn’t been there.

“I would never normally be there at that time.”

Mr Gilbert manage to douse the flames with water and buckets supplied by a neighbour.

The homeowner, who asked not to be named, thanked the men for their quick thinking.

The man, who shares the house with his wife and young son, said: “We were woken by someone knocking on the door.

“You could see the glow of the fire straight away.

“It was starting to damage my car, the frame has warped and the bumper and lights have been affected.

“The wheelie bins were completely destroyed, they were pretty much melted down to nothing.

“We were so lucky they saw it, it could have been very different if it had reached the roof.”

Although the cause has not yet been confirmed as deliberate, the dad urged people to be alert.

He said: “Everyone should keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”

Essex Fire and Rescue Service did not respond to requests for comment about the blaze at the time of going to press.