Barnsley man rushed to hospital after kitchen blaze

The occupant, aged in his 30s, needed treatment for smoke inhalation following the blaze at his terraced home in Farrer Street, Barnsley.

Three fire engines from Barnsley, Cudworth and Tankersley stations were called to the scene at 9.10pm last night and spent over an hour extinguishing the blaze.

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: “The fire was caused by cooking which had been left. Fortunately, the man was alerted to this by his smoke alarm.

“We reiterate that you should always have a working smoke alarm and should never leave cooking unattended.”

In nearby Coniston Avenue, Staincross, a 90-year-old woman also had a lucky escape when overheated cooking caused her home to fill with smoke.

She was already out of the property when fire crews from Cudworth and Barnsley station arrived at 8.15pm.

A fire service spokeswoman said it was unclear wether the cooking had been left unattended.

Arsonists set fire to tree cuttings on land in Dyke Vale Road, Hackenthorpe, at 9pm. A crew from Birley Moor Fire Station dealt with the blaze.