A MAN had to be rescued by firefighters from a blazing house in Hereford.

David Scott was found slumped in his first-floor bedroom while flames gutted the kitchen and living room on the ground floor of his home in the early hours of Sunday.

Two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus dragged him to safety from the Grove Road blaze.

"There was no smoke detector in the property," said Hereford Sub Officer Ron East.

"The fire was started by smoking materials and the door to the ground floor had been left slightly ajar so smoke and heat were able to escape up the stairs to the first floor."

The 61-year-old was found conscious and lying just below the smoke level.

"He was very lucky to escape," said Sub Officer East.

Ten firefighters took 30 minutes to douse the flames after the alarm was raised at 1.14am.

Mr Scott was taken to Hereford General Hospital and detained overnight for smoke inhalation before being released.

Meanwhile, an elderly woman was taken to hospital after fighting a fire in her bedroom.

The woman, who has not been named, suffered burns to her hand after the fire at Canterbury Road, Kidderminster.

The fire brigade was alerted at 3am today but the blaze, started by a candle, had been put out when they arrived.