SEVEN fire crews attended a blaze in a flat above a commercial premises at Canford Cliffs in the early hours of Friday morning.

Firefighters say residents of the flat next door were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, but otherwise unharmed.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) was called by a member of the public, who dialled 999 at 2.40am to report a fire at the building on Haven Road.

Neighbour Craig Beazley said: "I woke up about 3am and there were about three or four fire engines around at that point.

"We live just above the bakery, we saw quite a bit of the smoke coming out. 

"Later I heard a buzz at the door, it was a fireman. He told me that our electricity and gas was being turned off - it was still off when I left the house this morning.

"It is good to hear nobody has been hurt - it looks like the firefighter may have smashed through the front of the solicitors below the flat to get to the fire.

"When I first woke up I thought it was the pizza shop, I didn't see any flames - it was just smoke.

"But the flat looks completely gutted this morning."

Nine firefighters tackled the fire using breathing apparatus, four hose reel jets and two main jets, before finally declaring the situation safe at 3.45am.

A DWFRS spokesman confirmed: "We had seven crews on scene, including the aerial ladder platform from Westbourne fire station.

"The cause is still under investigation."