FIREFIGHTERS helped residents to flee a block of flats after smoke engulfed their building in the middle of the night.

Crews raced to East Street in Weymouth town centre after reports there were people trapped inside the building, which is just off the seafront.

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said two people were led to safety following the blaze in the early hours of yesterday.

They included asthma sufferer Pauline Stone who was treated for smoke inhalation by paramedics and taken to hospital as a precaution.

Miss Stone, 35, said she ‘couldn’t thank crews enough’ for their quick response.

Witnesses told how fire engines, an ambulance and police cars turned up at the scene a few minutes after midnight and the road was closed for more than an hour.

The fire is under investigation but the cause is not believed to be suspicious, say police.

It was confined to a storage cupboard next to the basement flat but a strong smell of smoke was evident throughout the building yesterday. Residents were given safety information by firefighters.

The tenant of the basement flat, who did not want to give his name, said he was awoken by a smoke alarm and went to investigate.

He said: “The alarm is very loud so I was up straight away.

“Sometimes it goes off from cooking so I thought at first it might be from that. I smelt smoke in the hallway but didn’t know where it was coming from.

“I thought a light was on in the cupboard outside my front door so I opened the door and discovered there was a fire inside.

“I ran back inside my flat and called the fire brigade. The person on the phone gave me instructions to try and stop the fire spreading so I put something against the door.”

Firefighters were soon on the scene and led two tenants outside. Other residents made it out themselves including postman David Buckland.

Mr Buckland, 41, said: “I was up as soon as I heard the fire alarm. Out in the hall it was foggy with smoke but I didn’t know where it was coming from.

“We were outside for a couple of hours while the firefighters were in there. After a while it started raining so we went to a shelter round the corner.”

Mr Buckland added: “I heard the fire had started in a cupboard downstairs. I understand someone tried to use a fire extinguisher to put it out but they didn’t have much success.”

Landlady of the nearby Cutter Hotel in East Street Dee Gough was surprised to see the emergency services turn up.

She said: “We had closed for the evening and my husband John and I were inside chatting.

“Suddenly there were fire engines and an ambulance outside. I hadn’t heard a noise or smelt smoke so I’m guessing it was contained inside the flats.”