A woman was woken by her smoke alarm after a fire broke out outside her flat at 4:45 am on Wednesday morning on Herries Road, Sheffield.

Three fire crews from Elm Lane, Rivelin and Parkway station were quickly at the scene.

The woman had already managed to escape the fire via a ground floor window as she couldn’t find her door keys, when crews arrived.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus worked hard to extinguish the blaze which has left the property badly damaged and no longer habitable.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Firefighters are advising residents to test your smoke alarm regulary and to take a few simple safety measures to help you stay safe at night:

• Make sure your keys are kept where you and your family can find them
• Check your escape routes are clear of obstacles
• Switch off electrical items such as cookers, washing machines, heaters, laptops and other electrical appliances, unless they are meant to be left on, like fridges and freezers
• Unplug mobile phones, tablets, e-cigarettes and other types of charger- never leave them to charge overnight
• Close internal doors, especially downstairs. If a fire does start, this stops it from spreading as fast