THREE people were taken to hospital – one in a serious condition – following a dramatic rescue from a fire in a high-rise block of flats.
The blaze is believed to have started in a flat on the 11th floor of Garibaldi House, off Freeman Street, Grimsby, just after 5pm yesterday.
The occupant of the blazing flat and two people from the floor below – an elderly woman and her carer – were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.
At the time of going to press, police had not confirmed their conditions, although the man was understood to be suffering serious effects.
He had been seen by shocked onlookers on the balcony of his flat – seemingly trapped as smoke billowed out from within.
The man, believed to be in his forties, was eventually brought out by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus, who battled their way through the black smoke.
Last night fire bosses said the cause of the blaze had not yet been identified.
Steve Topham, group manager at Humberside Fire and Rescue, said: "We were called to reports of a fire on the 11th floor of the building, confined to one flat. Upon attending we were informed that there might have been somebody in there.
"We committed crews to extinguish the fire and search for any individuals concerned. The fire in the flat was quite severe and we rescued one male casualty from that flat.
"The cause is not known at this time and we are in the process of carrying out our fire investigation alongside the police."
The dramatic scene – including the man's rescue – was witnessed by scores of astonished onlookers. Four fire engines – two from Peaks Lane and two from Cromwell Road fire stations – attended the incident.
All residents on the 11th floor were evacuated by fire crews, while most of the other residents were asked to stay in their flats and keep their doors closed.
Paul Collier, of nearby Hildyard Street, whose friend Steve Maltby lives on the 13th floor, said: "I rang him to ask if he was all right. He said he was and that he had been told to stay inside his flat.
"We saw the man come out of his flat. It was all smoky, and he was coughing, but then he just sat down."
Jamie Forbes, 35, of South Killingholme, left his friend's flat on the seventh floor just as the fire broke out.
He said: "I was just coming down the stairs when I passed a policewoman. I got down to the bottom and saw all the smoke coming out of the window. It looked pretty bad."
ON THE WEB: Watch a video from the scene of the fire at www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk, where updates will also apear throughout the day.
