Two people were left stranded inside a burning Liverpool flat after a blaze ripped through a bedroom this morning.
The two residents could be seen by a window as smoke billowed from the fire-engulfed flat close to Princes Park around 1.30am today.
Today fire chiefs said smoke alarms almost certainly saved the lives of the two residents who were plucked to safety from the window by firefighters and handed into the care of waiting paramedics after the blaze of the first floor flat in Devonshire Road.
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One of the residents has been taken to hospital for further assessment.
Three crews were sent to the scene of the fire.
A Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "Crews were alerted at 1.36am and on scene at 1.42am. Three fire engines attended.
"On arrival crews found a fire in a flat on the first floor of the three-storey building.
" Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the building with hose reel jets and extinguished fire. Two people were led to safety from the building by firefighters.
"All other occupants of the flats were out when crews arrived."
Station Manager Chris Barrett said the fire again showed the importance of having working smoke alarms.
He said: "Crews were faced with a well-developed fire in the bedroom of a flat on the first floor of the property.
"Firefighters acted quickly to not only extinguish the fire but to also rescue two people who were still inside and unable to leave due to the amount of smoke.
"On our arrival they were waiting at window to escape the smoke. Crews used smoke hoods to ensure they were able to bring these two people to safety outside and hand them into the care of waiting paramedics.
"Whilst the actions of firefighters ultimately saved these two individuals, the presence of working smoke alarms in the property were instrumental to giving them the early warning they needed to alert the emergency services to the fire."
He added: ""Smoke alarms save lives - that is a fact - but they cannot do that if they are not working or not there in the first place.
"We would urge residents across Merseyside to treat this fire as a cautionary tale and to make sure they have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of their home.
"Consider installing additional smoke alarms in rooms with electrical appliances or sleeping areas, and make sure you test your smoke alarms every week."
Two fire engines left the scene at 3.15am, with the final crew expected to leave the scene this morning.
