RESIDENTS were forced to flee their homes after a fire tore through the roof of a Thai restaurant in Bushey this morning.

About four residents evacuated to safety after the blaze ripped through the loft compartment of a flat above Thai Sunset the blaze swept through the loft compartment of a second floor flat above Thai Sunset in the High Street.

Firefighters with engines from Watford, Rickmansworth, Borehamwood, Bushey and Hemel Hempstead tackled the blaze, which started at around 7am.

An aerial ladder was also used to help firefighters extinguish flames engulfing the roof of the three-storey building.

Speaking at the scene, incident commander John Print, who is a watch commander for Dacorum and St Albans, said: "We got the aerial ladder platform to work very quickly, put a hole in the roof and worked from the inside with breathing apparatus as well as the outside. We got it under control very quickly. The worry was being old buildings the fire might spread to other roofs, but it was adequately stopped and we put it out very quickly which helped."

Firefighters remained on the scene until about 10am to damp down hot spots in the gutted roof compartment.

The lower part of the High Street was cordoned off by police while firefighters bought the fire under control.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, pending further investigations by firefighters.