An 83-year-old woman was at her Brunswick Gardens flat when the fire started at 6am today.

Her son, who had spent the night at the Halifax flat, raised the alarm as the flames took hold. The front room was gutted, window frames melted and thick black smoke poured into the stairwell.

When firefighters from Halifax arrived residents had already evacuated the flats. The pensioner and her son were outside suffering from smoke inhalation.

Watch manager Chris Linley said: "We think the lady that owned it had been in the living room smoking and had dropped the cigarette down the back of the sofa and that set it off. Her son ran to neighbours and they dialled 999.

"When we arrived there was thick, black smoke coming from the windows."

Mr Linley said the extensive damage and the speed with which the fire took hold should be a warning to smokers. Be careful with smoking materials," he said.

"Make sure you put them out properly and use ashtrays. And be very careful smoking in bed."

The house was fitted with one smoke alarm and the fire crew has now distributed leaflets to local residents advising them to have a safety check and fit alarms.

Anyone who wants a free fire-safety check, and, if needed, a free smoke alarm, can ring 0800 5874536.