Man taken to hospital after flat fire escape

Firefighters from Wesham, South Shore and Penwortham were called to Freckleton Street around 7am today after reports of a blaze above a hairdressers.

It was reported a man had climbed out of a window, onto a window ledge and down to safety to escape the fire.

A spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue said: “When crews arrived the man was being treated by paramedics. We are not sure of the extent of his injuries.

“We believe he climbed onto a window ledge (to escape).

“Firefighters went into the flat and found a severe fire and put it out as well as searching inside. No-one else was in the property.

“There was some suggestion gas bottle to power a heater inside, but this was not an issue for crews.

“It was quite a significant fire – we will be looking into the cause today.”