The fire scene in Market Drayton. Picture by Bob Greaves.

Three people were forced to flee their homes during the early hours of this morning when fire ripped through a block of flats in Market Drayton.

Two residents were woken by the sound of glass smashing.

The third was alerted by his smoke alarm going off shortly after 3am. Another resident returned home from a walk to find her flat ablaze.

More than 25 firefighters from Shropshire and Cheshire fought to bring the fire at the flats in Red Bank Road under control.

Roger Smith, crew manager at Market Drayton fire station, said the fire started in a ground floor flat and spread to the flat above and a neighbouring property.

Mr Smith said 55-year-old Dave Hickman was in the upstairs flat and was woken by a smoke alarm.

He said the residents in the neighbouring flat were Tom McLoughlan and Carlin Holiday, who were woken by the sound of glass smashing. The occupier of the ground floor flat was named by the fire service as 24-year-old Lisa Cowan, who returned home from a walk to find her home in flames.

All four were checked over by paramedics but no-one was taken to hospital.

Mr Smith said two of the residents would now have to be rehomed.

A joint police and fire service investigation has been launched. Inspector Mark Hatton, from West Mercia Police, said the cause of the fire was of “unknown origin” but was not being treated as suspicious.