Firefighters rescued a man from a first-floor flat in Headington, Oxford, today after he was alerted to a blaze by a smoke alarm.

Fire crews from Rewley Road and The Slade were called to the fire, in Old High Street, at 2am.

Crew manager Shaun Betts said the man in the flat raised the alarm himself, after hearing the alarm go off.

He added: "The fire was not large but generated a lot of toxic smoke, which had the potential to be fatal.

"He was rescued by a ladder from the window by fire crews. He was suffering from smoke inhalation and was taken to hospital by paramedics.

"This goes to show that working smoke detectors in the home do save lives."

Mr Betts added that the cause of the blaze was still being investigated.