POLICE and firefighters are investigating the cause of fires in two Westcliff homes just a few hours apart.

Firefighters tackled a blaze in the roof of an unoccupied mid-terraced house in Avenue Road, Westcliff, shortly after dealing with a boiler fire at converted flats in Beedell Avenue in the early hours of Sunday, December 11.

The woman occupant of the flat was out before crews arrived.

The cause of both fires is not yet known.

More in Monday's Echo.