The woman, of Warwick Grove, Upper Clapton escaped with her life after her smoke alarm went off.

Around 15 firefighters from Stoke Newington and Leyton fire stations were called to the scene at 11.43am.

When they arrived, they found the woman, who is in her 60s, sitting outside her house.

She was suffering from the effect of smoke inhalation, which was exacerbated by her asthma.

Some firefighters provided her with emergency care and oxygen, while others went into the property to extinguish the blaze.

They found a small amount of food alight in the microwave, which had caused a lot of smoke to fill the house.

They spent 15 minutes tacking the blaze.

Crew Manager Jason Butcher, who was at the scene, said: “When we spoke to the lady about what happened, she told us that she had put some food in the microwave and had fallen asleep on the sofa. She was only woken up when the smoke alarm went off. There’s not a doubt in my mind that the smoke alarm saved her life. If she had been in the flat for much longer, this could have had a tragic ending.”

The woman was taken to hospital by paramedics from the London Ambulance Service.