Fire crews arrived at about 19:00 BST on Friday at the village near Dedham
A fire broke out of the roof of a thatched cottage in Essex.
About 13 fire crews were called to the property in School Road in Langham near Colchester at about 19:00 BST on Friday.
The cottage had been evacuated when firefighters arrived and the residents went to a neighbour's house, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said.
The fire service said the blaze was out by 02:00 BST. An investigation is under way to establish the cause.
Gary Jeffrey, divisional fire officer, said firefighters had to strip back the thatch, which was "tightly packed together", to tackle the fire.
Crews were able to prevent the fire spreading to a neighbouring thatched cottage.
An appliance from Colchester was one of the 13 sent to Langham
Suffolk Fire Service sent crews from Hadleigh and Nayland to help tackle the fire
The fire was out by 02:00 BST on Saturday
