Firefighters rescue Shrewsbury woman from smoke-filled flat

She was found lying in the kitchen where a fire had broken out on the cooker at her home in Frankwell.

The alarm was raised by a passer-by who had heard the smoke alarm sounding on Tuesday evening at a third-floor flat.

The woman was given oxygen by paramedics and rushed to hospital.

Station manager Adam Matthews said: "This incident serves as a timely reminder that working smoke alarms save lives. The alarm was raised by a passer-by after hearing the smoke alarm operating.

"I would also like to congratulate our firefighters and fire control staff who mobilised appliances to this incident in under one minute with the first appliance being in attendance in under five minutes of the call being received."

Firefighters were called at 6.30pm and police also attended.

Three fire appliances raced to the scene from Shrewsbury Fire Station and reported smoke issuing around the door on their arrival.

Mr Matthews added: "Two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus forced entry into the flat to find a fire on the cooker and one female collapsed within the kitchen .

"Firefighters extinguished the fire and rescued the female before administering oxygen. The female was later transferred to hospital via ambulance.

Jamie Arrowsmith, from West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: "We were called to the scene at 6.37pm to a flat in Frankwell. One patient was found to be conscious and breathing and was given oxygen at the scene. It appeared she was suffering from smoke inhalation. She was taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. It was not thought to be a serious incident and only one ambulance attended the scene."

It is believed the cause of the fire was cooking being left unattended.