UPDATE: Disabled East Preston woman rescued from house fire

A WHEELCHAIR-bound pensioner had to be rescued from a fire at her East Preston home this morning (Friday, January 29).

The woman, believed to be in her 80s, and her daughter, thought to be in her 50s, were trapped in their Normandy Road bungalow, after a fire broke out in the older woman's bed just after 8am.

Jon Mays, East Preston fire station commander, said: "The daughters had managed to get her mother out of the bedroom, and into another room, but could not get her out of the house.

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"We had them both out in moments, and they were taken to Worthing Hospital, the wheelchair-bound lady with six per cent burns to her arms and back, and both were suffering from smoke inhalation."

He added that the initial results of an investigation had found that a the blaze had been started by a reading light.

"Luckily, the property had been fitted with a fire alarm doing a home fire safety check by members of my team just a few weeks ago.

"Potentially, this incident could have been a lot worse, and again highlights the importance of having a fully functional smoke alarm in your home."

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