A quick-thinking man leapt into action to drag his neighbour out of bed to safety as a fire blazed below his bedroom window.

The blaze, which badly damaged cars, caused nearby windows to shatter and torched trees and may have been started deliberately.

Fire crews were called to Great Totham Road, Wickham Bishops, on Sunday morning to put out the flames, which started in the car park for the flats.

An Essex County Fire and Rescue Service investigation could not determine the cause of the fire, but a spokesman said it could have been accidental or deliberate.