A firefighter has stressed to residents the importance of having working smoke alarms following a flat fire in Godmanchester.

A crew from Huntingdon and two crews from St Neots were called to the fire on Park Lane yesterday afternoon.

Crews arrived to find smoke issuing from a first floor window and a fire in the bedroom of the property.

Wearing breathing apparatus, firefighters used two hose reels to extinguish the fire, before dampening down the area.

One person was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

The flat was safely evacuated and all persons were accounted for.

All crews returned to their stations by 3.10pm The cause of the fire was accidental.

This was the third flat fire in Huntingdonshire since Friday.

St Neots Watch Commander, Jon-Paul Jones who attended the fire said:“Thankfully the resident had a working smoke alarm which alerted them to the fire, and a neighbour quickly called the Fire Service.

“Without a working smoke alarm and the quick-thinking of a neighbour, this fire could have been much more serious.

“A smoke alarm is the single most important thing you need in your home - it will alert you to a fire and give you precious minutes to escape to safety.

“The crews did a fantastic job to tackle the fire and bring it under control so quickly.”