A woman was rescued from a flat fire in Hackney which is believed to have been caused by incense sticks left unattended.

A section of the ground floor flat in a mid-terraced house on Benthal Road was damaged by the fire in the early hours of February 23.

One woman managed to escape the building before three fire engines and around 15 firefighters from Stoke Newington and Homerton stations arrived.

Station Officer Jason Butcher said: “We were called by a neighbour who heard smoke alarms sounding in the flat below.

“On arrival firefighters found a small fire behind the front door of the property and worked quickly to bring it under control.”

At around 4am, firefighters wearing breathing apparatus rescued another woman from the flat and she was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service (LAS) crews.

LFB fire investigators believe the blaze was caused by incense sticks.

Station Officer Butcher added: “Incense sticks, candles and oil burners are one of the most common causes of fire within homes. It’s really important that you never leave these items unattended.”

The fire was under control just after 5am.