A major fire ripped through a block of flats in Sherford during the early hours of Friday morning with 28 people rescued by firefighters and 10 taken to hospital.
The blaze broke out in the stairwell of the four storey building on Aquila Drive at around 2.20am. Emergency services rushed to the scene as terrified residents became trapped in their homes.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service confirmed crews used ladders and an aerial ladder platform to carry out rescues while Fire Control operators guided 999 callers who were unable to escape.
A spokesperson for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said:
“We were called to a fire in the stairwell of a four-storey block of flats in Aquila Drive at 2.20am.
"We sent six fire appliances plus special appliances. Multiple people living there were unable to leave their flats due to the smoke.
"Fire Control operators provided guidance over the phone to 999 callers while fire crews made multiple rescues using the aerial ladder platform and ladders.”
Paramedics and specialist teams from the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust were deployed within minutes, with casualties taken to both Derriford and Torbay hospitals.
A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said:
“We were called at 02:27hrs on Friday 19 September to a building fire in Sherford.
"We sent six double-crewed land ambulances, three operations officers, a doctor, a first responder and a hazardous area response team to the scene.
"We conveyed eight patients by land ambulances to Derriford Hospital and two patients by land ambulance to Torbay Hospital.”
Residents reported seeing flames and smoke rising above the flats as the street filled with fire engines and ambulances. Police also attended the scene.
The cause of the blaze is not yet known. Fire investigators and police have being carrying out investigations at the scene today. Devon and Cornwall Police has been contacted for comment.
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