A LOWESTOFT man was last night in hospital after suffering 75% burns in a fierce blaze at his flat.Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus fought back flames to rescue the man, named locally as 55-year-old Robert Craig, from his home in Hollingsworth Road at just after 10.

A LOWESTOFT man was last night in hospital after suffering 75% burns in a fierce blaze at his flat.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus fought back flames to rescue the man, named locally as 55-year-old Robert Craig, from his home in Hollingsworth Road at just after 10.30pm on Sunday.

He was immediately taken by ambulance to the James Paget Hospital at Gorleston and later transferred to the specialist burns unit at the Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford.

John Hewitt who lives in the flat above Mr Craig, said: “I was watching TV and I went to close the window, but as I did I saw there was smoke coming out of his window, so I called 999.

“The fire crews were here very quickly and got him out. But is very sad, we are just waiting to hear if he is ok.”

Mr Hewitt said Mr Craig suffers from Huntington's Disease , a hereditary disorder of the central nervous system, and had lived in Hollingsworth Road for 5 years.

He said: “Of late his speech was going a bit because of his illness, but he has a carer. He often comes up to me for dinner on a Sunday and we watch the Grand Prix. But I think he probably needed a night carer.”

It took three fire crews from Lowestoft just under an hour to extinguish the fire.

Yesterday fire investigators at the scene said they were yet to determine what had caused the blaze but were not treating it as suspicious.

Last night, a spokesman for Broomfield Hospital would not release details of Mr Craig's condition following a request from his family.