FIREFIGHTERS had to force open a back door to rescue a 91-year-old woman from her house which was on fire in Oswestry on Thursday morning.

Two Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) crews from Oswestry and Ellesmere were called to Cherry Tree Drive at 7am on Thursday after reports of a house fire, caused by a gas cooker.

Paramedics from West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) and officers from West Mercia Police also attended the scene with a SFRS operations officer.

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A spokesman for Oswestry Fire Station explained the call.

They said: “At 7am this morning, SFRS control received a call reporting a house fire in Oswestry where an elderly lady was trapped inside the house and unable to leave of her own accord.

“Two fire appliances were mobilised from Ellesmere and Oswestry with an operations officer also in attendance.

“Upon arrival, Oswestry crews were confronted with a kitchen fire and a smoke logged kitchen.

“A 91-year-old female was found inside, unable to leave.

“Oswestry firefighters had to force entry via the back door, successfully rescuing the lady and bringing her to safety.

“She was assessed by FREC trained staff and then again by paramedics upon their arrival.

“In addition to extinguishing the fire, our team installed new smoke alarms in the house to ensure future safety.

“Please ensure your smoke alarms are in working order and tested regularly.”

SFRS crews were at the scene for 30 minutes before deciding no further support was needed from other crews.

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Firefighters used breathing apparatus, a covering jet and a hosereel jet to tackle the fire.  

A WMAS spokesman added: "We were called to reports of a property fire in Cherry Tree Drive at 7.15am, one ambulance attended the scene.

"On arrival we discovered one patient, a woman, who was treated for the effects of smoke inhalation before being taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital."