A man was recued by emergency firefighters when a blaze broke out in his home in Dagenham during the night.

Crews were called to the house in Fanshawe Crescent at midnight after neighbours raised the alarm.

They used breathing apparatus to get through the smoke to reach the man who was trapped by flames on the ground floor.

The man suffered burns and effects of breathing smoke. He was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken by ambulance to hospital.

Fire investigators looking into the cause of the blaze estimate a-quarter of the ground floor of the terraced house was damaged.

Station manager Paul McClenaghan who was at the scene said later: “The property had no smoke alarms which can give you early warning of a fire and enough time to get out safely.”

The fire was out after 45 minutes. The crew then fitted a smoke detector in the flat before leaving.

Any household can apply to have smoke detectors fitted free by the London Fire Brigade.