Two brave police officers rescued residents from a fire in a first floor flat after a blaze broke out in the early hours of the morning.

Two brave police officers rescued the occupants of a first floor flat after a fire broke out in the early hours of the morning.

The two officers, a man and a woman, were on the beat in Ipswich at around 4.20am on Saturday when they noticed smoke coming from the first floor flat of a two-storey terraced house in Grimwade Street, Ipswich.

They forced their way into the flat and rescued the two occupants who were asleep inside.

One of the residents, a 33-year-old man who did not want to be named, said: “I was asleep and a tea towel on top of the hob caught fire.

“The policeman said he saw smoke coming out of my window at the front of the house but I was asleep the whole time.

“I appreciate what they did. It was the night of Friday 13 so I guess something always happens.”

Both residents and one of the officers were treated for smoke inhalation by paramedics, who were at the scene for more than half an hour.

Two fire crews from Princes Street and one from Colchester Road fire stations also attended the blaze, and had the flames under control by 4.40am. There was a significant amount of smoke damage to the one-bedroom flat.

The fire is thought to have been caused by tea towels left on top of a cooker hob. Ian Bowell, group manager at Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, issued a safety warning against having any kind of material near heat sources.

He said: “Drying clothes in front of an open fire, an electric heater or on a hob is very dangerous. They can catch fire and have caused deaths and serious injuries in the past.

“We would always recommend that you use either an airing cupboard to dry clothes or special clothes hangers that you can put on water-filled radiators, but never put them in front of an open heat source that can ignite.

“We would also recommend that people have a working smoke alarm fitted in the correct position in their property. If you need fire safety advice you can call us on 01473 260588 and we can arrange a home fire safety check and provide advice either in person or over the phone.”