Six people were rescued from blazing flats in Braintree and taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and shock.
Firefighters were called to a block of flats at Peel Crescent, Braintree, at 1.58am this morning
A spokesman for the fire service said five people were rescued using fire escapes and one by fire service equipment.
The fire is believed to have broken out in a refuse cupboard at the block of flats.
The fire service said: "Due to the location of the fire, by the time the fire service arrived 50 per cent of the whole building was heavily smoke-logged.
"Six casualties had to be rescued by the fire service and all the casualties were taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation and shock."
Two fire engines from Braintree, one from Coggeshall and one from Halstead went to the fire, which was out by 2.58am.
Pensioner Joan Suckling was one of the six rescued and taken to hospital.
Mrs Suckling, 76, who lives in a ground floor flat, was woken by a bang on her door. She said: "I got dressed and went out and the smoke was awful. You could not see across the room."
"All the fire engines were there and a couple of ambulances because of the smoke inhalation and they eventually took us off to hospital."
Those affected by the smoke were taken to Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford. An investigation in to the fire is ongoing.
Published Tuesday August 27, 2002
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