A GRANDMOTHER was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation after a kitchen fire at her Baxenden home.

The pensioner, in her 80s, had to be rescued by her granddaughter, who lives locally, after the blaze broke out at her Manchester Road home.

She was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

Watch manager at Hyndburn Fire Station, Garry Drinkwater, said: “The occupier had been making some toast when she noticed the fire in the kitchen.

“She rang her son who only lives a few doors away and her granddaughter answered the phone. She ran down the street and could hear the smoke alarms.

“She opened the door and found her grandma standing in the living room, very disorientated, struggling to find her way out because of the smoke.

“She ran into her house and led her grandma to safety before calling the fire service.”

Firefighters from Accrington were called to the mid-terrace home and extinguished the flames.

Fire badly damaged the kitchen, and smoke badly damaged the living room and the hallway in the incident, at 8.20pm on Wednesday.

Nobody was home yesterday afternoon but a strong smell of smoke was still noticeable in the air.

Watch manager Drinkwater added: “This was very brave of the granddaughter.

“Without her quick reactions, this incident could have been a totally different outcome.”

For a free home fire safety check, call 0800 169 1125 or visit www.lancsfirerescue. org.uk