Two rescued from blaze

Two people were rescued by firefighters after a blaze ripped through a top floor flat in Shrewsbury early today.

A person was seen leaning out of a first floor window as smoke billowed from the building in Harlescott when town firefighters arrived.

A discarded cigarette is being blamed for the fire, which broke out at the flat in the York Road area just after 1am.

A woman was treated for the effects of smoke inhalation after she was rescued from the home and a man was also helped from the property after a member of the public raised the alarm.

Firefighters today said it highlighted the dangers of smoking before going to bed and the benefits of having smoke detectors properly fitted.

Sean Pugh, 38, of Kynaston Road, was on his way home from work when he saw the smoke and raised the alarm.

He said: "I rang the fire brigade, there was smoke everywhere. There was an old lady and her son, I shouted up at their window, they both got out. "The smoke alarm was going off."

Kevin Jackson, 37, who lives in the block of flats where the blaze started, said he heard a fire engine outside at about 1.30am. A pile of charred cushions was stacked up outside the flat this morning.

Incident commander sub officer Cameron Taylor said the fire had been brought under control "very quickly" by the crews. He said the man had told them he had been smoking before going to bed.

"The fire was started by a discarded cigarette, causing a fire to develop in the settee. Smoke had affected three rooms in the flat," he said.

"The occupants, who were in bed at the time of the fire, believed they could smell smoke. This was quickly confirmed by the operation of a smoke detector fitted in the hallway of the flat.

"Once again this incident showed the dangers of smoking before going to bed and the benefits of having fully working smoke detectors correctly fitted.

"Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service urge people to have a fire escape plan and ensure everybody is aware of what actions they should take in the event of a fire."

For information on free home fire safety checks call (01743) 260298.

By Deborah Collins and Lizzie Yates