THREE people have been rescued from a blaze in Westcliff.

Firefighters were called to a ground floor flat in Fairfax Drive shortly just before 3pm.

Four people were been injured in the blaze. Three suffered the effects of smoke inhalation and were treated by ambulance crews. The fourth suffered burns and was airlifted to hospital. 

Martyn Hodder, assistant divisional officer  said: "The fire was in the hallway of a range of terraced homes which have been converted into flats. There is a central hallway with four flats coming off it.

"Men had been working in a bathroom on the ground floor. They had been laying new lino and had left an uncovered container of adhesive in the hallway.

"The hallway had filled with fumes from the adhesive which were ignited when a plumber came in and lit a blow-torch."

Mr Hodder added: "Crews from Southend arrived extremely quickly. They were just around the corner at the time the fire broke out and were flagged down by a member of the public.

"On arrival crews entered the building. One crew went upstairs and led two people to safety, another tackled the fire while another crew carried a disabled man and his oxygen tanks out of a downstairs flat.

"The plumber suffered burns and was airlifted from the scene by the air ambulance."

The fire was extinguished at 3.20pm