Firefighters rescued a man from a house fire after a neighbour aised the alarm. 

Crews from Orsett, Grays and Corringham were called to Bowerman Road in Chadwell St Mary in the early hours of this morning. 

When firefighters arrived at 2.24am they found the first floor of the two storey house was 50 per cent alight.

A neighbour had raised the alarm and reported the occupant might still be inside.

Firefighters found a man in his seventies who was unconscious and not breathing.

They revived the man before leaving him in the care of the ambulance service. 

Station Manager Mark Elliott said: "We received good information from the caller that someone might be inside, so firefighters got into the building quickly.

"They did an absolutely fantastic job.

"They found him in a back bedroom on a smoke-filled first floor, carried him out and revived him using oxygen therapy. 

"Crews then worked quickly to stop the fire, limiting the damage and preventing it from spreading to the adjoining house." 

Crews extinguished the fire by 3.48am.

An investigation will be carried out to establish the cause.