NEIGHBOURS rescued a man from a blazing flat as firefighters tackled two electrical fires in a building earlier today.

Fire crews were called to the blaze in a first floor flat in Whalley Banks, off King Street, Blackburn, at 1.15am. It is thought to have been caused by an electrical fault.

Neighbours propped a ladder against the first floor flat window to bring the occupant to safety.

He was taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary by paramedics suffering from smoke inhalation.

A second fire broke out below the flat at Master Electronics.

Firefighters had to work around live electricity in the first floor flat as the second fire took hold beneath them. The supply did not fuse out.

Crews from Darwen and Blackburn smashed a security roller and battled for three hours to bring both fires under control.

Sub Officer Aden Fortune said: "Firefighters worked in very dangerous conditions which tested their training to the maximum.

"Everything happened in a very short space of time. When we arrived the occupant of the flat had been rescued by neighbours and we established that the second floor flat was unoccupied.

"The fire is thought to have been caused after a television and radio exploded in the flat's front room.

"But as fire fighters tackled the flames upstairs, a second fire started below in the electrical store as the mains electricity failed to fuse.

"We did not have to withdraw the officers but had to make them aware that a second fire had started below them."

Fire crews were called to the scene by nearby garage staff who dialled 999.

The electricity meter was taken away by United Utilities last night for investigation.

A spokesman for United Utilities said: "We were called to the property to make it safe. Investigations will now be carried out to establish the cause of the fire."