THE occupant of a flat had a lucky escape after food left in the oven started a fire.

Neighbours in the building saw smoke residue coming from a first floor flat above a shop in Wells high street.

They called the fire service at 3.47am this morning (October 9).

“Crews were soon on scene and had gained entry to the flat within minutes of arriving,” said a spokesperson from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.

“One casualty, suffering from smoke inhalation, was led to safety by fire service personnel who rendered oxygen therapy awaiting the arrival of an ambulance.

“In the meantime, the small fire, involving food stuffs left unattended in an oven, had been extinguished by two firefighters in breathing apparatus, using a hose reel jet and thermal imaging camera.

“Crews worked well to prevent any further fire spread, containing it to the oven but remained on scene for some time clearing the property of smoke and making the area safe.

“The incident was under control at 04:49hrs, with crews coming away shortly after this time.”

Crews from Wells, Glastonbury and Shepton Mallet attended the incident.