A family had to clamber to safety on Sunday morning after their attic flat in Radlett went up in flames.

It is believed the fire began in the kitchen of a fourth floor studio flat in Craig Mount at around 7am.Flames quickly spread into the roof of the four-storey building causing severe damage to the property.Nine crews of firefighters from across Hertfordshire attended the blaze.Watford firefighter Mark West said the fire had completely gutted the upstairs flat and structural engineers had been called to the site to secure the roof of the building.It is not yet known how the family were alerted to the fire, but they managed to escape without injury.Fire investigators are now trying to establish the exact cause of the fire.