THREE people and two dogs were rescued by firefighters following a blaze at a flat in Boscombe yesterday evening.

At around 10.15pm fire crews were called to the property in Hamilton Road.

Upon their arrival the firefighters, who were on scene within four minutes after the alarm was raised, rescued one woman from a stairway and carried her to safety.

A man and a woman were also rescued from the roof of the building.

A spokesman from Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said two dogs, a Jack Russell and Staffordshire Terrier, both of which were called Roxy, were rescued from the building.

Paramedics treated one of the casualties for smoke inhalation at the scene.

Red Cross fire and emergency support volunteers attended and provided shelter for a four-year-old boy and his mother who had to evacuate their ground floor flat.

The DFRS spokesman said the fire is believed to have been caused by an unattended chip pan that had been left on a hob.

The spokesman said: “The safety message is clear. Never leave cooking unattended. Ditch your old chip pan and replace them with a thermostatically controlled deep fat fryer.

"Ensure you have working smoke alarms, test them once a week. Plan two escape routes.”