A woman had to be rescued from her home by firefighters in Princes Risborough after fire broke out.

The woman was trapped upstairs by a fire on her landing in St Johns Court in Bell Street in the early hours of this morning. 

Firefighters were called to the scene at 12.33am and control room staff stayed on the telephone and provided survival guidance until they arrived. 

A crew from Princes Risborough, two from High Wycombe and an officer attended the scene.   

Group Commander Mick Martin from Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “The occupant was trapped in a first-floor bedroom and unable to get out.

“The Control Room maintained contact with the resident and was able to give her fire survival guidance and reassurance over the phone, and to pass important information back to the crews about exactly where she was in the house.

“She was advised to position herself at an open window in her bedroom to reduce the effects of the smoke.

“On arrival there was smoke issuing from the property, smoke alarms could be heard sounding and the occupant was leaning out of the bedroom window."

The woman was carried down a ladder from a first floor window and paramedics took her to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. 

The fire, which is believed to have been started by a cigarette end which had not been put out properly, caused 50 per cent damage to the first floor and 100 per cent smoke damage.  

Group Commander Martin said: "The fire started at the head of the stairs on the first-floor landing, and escalated to cause fire and heat damage to all first-floor rooms, the attic and stairwell down to the ground floor. 

“Early indications from the initial fire investigation are that the fire started in or around a bin on the landing, where a cigarette end had been discarded, igniting other combustible materials."

Firefighters used one hose reel, two sets of breathing apparatus, a positive pressure ventilation fan and a thermal imaging camera to put the fire out.

South Central Ambulance Service confirmed they were called at 12.36am and sent one ambulance to the scene, which took a patient to Stoke Mandeville Hospital.