One woman was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation after a blaze ripped through part of a Telford home.
Smoke and flames could be seen licking through a bedroom window when firefighters arrived at the house in Telford.
Two women escaped the burning property in Spout Way, Malinslee, before the fire service arrived at 8.30pm yesterday.
And fire chiefs today warned people to make sure their smoke alarms have batteries fitted after firefighters found those in the smoke alarm at the property had been pulled out.
Sub-officer Tony Druce, from Telford Central Fire Station, said the fire had started accidentally in an upstairs bedroom.
He said 80 per cent of the room had been damaged, along with 40 per cent of the rest of the upstairs.
Mr Druce said the women had managed to get out of the house before the fire service arrived.
“When we got there, there were smoke and flames licking through the bedroom window,” he said.
“One female casualty was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and the other lady was okay.
“There was a lot of damage to the upstairs of the property. They were quite lucky. After we extinguished the flames we realised the batteries had been removed from a smoke alarm, which is not the done thing.
“Even though people have smoke detection, they need to maintain batteries and make sure they are plugged in.”
Neighbour Tracy Gamble, 30, said two women lived at the property.
She said: “I saw lots of smoke, it looked pretty bad. I saw the flames coming out of the window. There were four or fire engines, they were very quick to come and they put it out quickly.”
A first floor window at the house was visibly burned and boarded up today and the guttering was melted.
A burned mattress and other items were strewn across the front garden. Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: “One of the ladies who lives there was very shaken.”
Anyone wanting information on smoke alarms can contact Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service’s fire safety department on (01743) 260200.
By Deborah Collins and Dave West
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