PICTURES: Homes evacuated and man hospitalised after major blaze guts Sheffield flats

Fire crews from three stations were mobilised to the blaze which took place on White Thorns View, Batemoor, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

A man in his 30s had to be rescued with a ladder from a second floor flat before being taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

Other flats were evacuated, with residents spending the night in alternative accommodation.

The blaze is believed to have started started in a ground floor flat but smoke spread to adjoining and upper floor flats.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus used hoses to extinguish the fire and searched the flats for further casualties.

Firefighters spent around an hour-and-a-half dealing with the incident.

An investigation has been launched into the cause of the blaze.