FIREFIGHTERS forced their way into a burning flat in Evesham last night to rescue a woman trapped inside.

Emergency services were called to Hemmingway, off Fairfield Road, at about 6pm, after a man who managed to escape the property raised the alarm.

Crews from Evesham, Pebworth and Pershore attended, where they were confronted by a severe fire in a ground floor flat.

A woman was reportedly trapped inside and two firefighters in breathing apparatus entered the property through a window to save her, quickly finding her and bringing her to safety.

She was given emergency first aid by firefighters until paramedics arrived at the scene. The woman was then flown by air ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

Watch Commander Russell Broadbent from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Crews were faced with some very difficult conditions but worked quickly and effectively to rescue the woman.

"The intensity of the fire meant that access through the front door wasn’t possible, and so firefighters had to break the glass in a front window and gain entry that way.

"The woman was then rescued through the back of the property."

The rescued woman remains in hospital this morning in a stable condition.

The man who raised the alarm was also checked over by paramedics at the scene, but did not need treatment.

There was severe fire damage in the living room of the flat following the blaze and extensive heat and smoke damage throughout the rest of the property.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is now underway and police are still at the scene today.

A spokesman for West Mercia said: "At around 6pm last night, police were alerted by the fire service to a fire at a flat in Hemmingway, Evesham.

"Officers attended and found that a woman had been rescued from the property by firefighters.

"She was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by air ambulance where she remains at this time in a stable condition.

"A man who was also inside the property at the time was treated by paramedics at the scene but required no further treatment.

"The fire is currently being treated as unexplained and officers remain at the property today while inquiries continue."