Firefighters are warning people not to re-enter burning properties, no matter what possessions may be left inside, after a man was forced to jump from his first floor flat in Stocksbridge.

The fire had broken out in the kitchen of the flat on Pot House Lane, Stocksbridge, at around 11.00pm on Monday night, caused by a chip pan.

The male and female occupants escaped the blaze but the man re-entered the flat to look for a cat, who wasn't there, and was forced to jump to escape the fire. He was not injured.

A fire service spokesman said: "Our advice to anyone who finds a fire in their property is to get out, stay out, and call 999. It is not worth risking your life to re-enter a burning building."