Eight rescued from blaze in Capital tenement drama

EIGHT people were rescued from a fire in a city tenement today, including two who were plucked off the rooftop by firefighters.

The fire started in rubbish in the common stair of the Croall Place flats at around 4am. Fire crews used a hydraulic platform to guide residents to safety from their windows and rescued IT director Charlie Boisseau and his wife from the roof of the four-storey building.

Mr Boisseau, 25, who escaped to the roof via a fire exit, said: "I opened the front door and found thick black smoke and I couldn't see through it. It was bloody scary."

An elderly woman and a 22-year-old woman were treated for smoke inhalation.

Two people were led down stairs by firefighters. This morning many of the windows were open and the charred remains of bikes, a pram and a rowing machine could be seen outside. Fire officers and police were in attendance.