A DISCARDED cigarette is thought to have set fire to cables supplying electricity to an office block in Southend.

Firefighters from Southend and Leigh were called to the fire in Kingswood House, Baxter Avenue at 2.20pm today.

Station officer Barrie May said: "The electrical room is under the building's smoking area and it looks as if a cigarette end had fallen through the grill setting the insulation on the wiring alight.

"There were flames coming out of the grill when we got there and because it was in the building electrical intake room we were unable to use water so crew tackled the fire with extinguishers.”