Two in hospital after escaping house fire

Two people have been taken to hospital with burns after escaping from a severe house fire in Market Drayton.

The blaze broke out at the home on Kings Avenue at 00:41 BST and four firefighters went inside to search the burning house, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

They worked "extremely hard in punishing temperatures as they made their way through the property", a spokesperson added, but found it became more difficult when part of the first floor collapsed.

They were able to confirm no-one else was inside and the fire was brought under control within an hour.

Smoke and flames could be seen coming out of the ground floor windows and door of the mid-terrace, two-storey house when firefighters arrived.

The two adults had already escaped and were suffering from burns and the effects of breathing in smoke, firefighters said.

Fire crews from six stations were called, because of fears the blaze could spread to neighbouring properties.

The two people who escaped were taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital for treatment.

The house suffered "significant damage" but while the neighbouring properties suffered some "smoke logging" in their roofs and upper floors, they were not badly damaged, the spokesperson added.

Firefighters remained at the scene overnight as a precaution and an investigation into the cause of the fire is under way.

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