The occupant of the flat had escaped with her dog but had to leave her pet bird behind.

The fire broke out at about 6pm in a first-floor flat which was well ablaze when fire crews arrived.

It took the two crews around 20 minutes to extinguish the fire in the kitchen. Residents from two other flats were evacuated from the building as a precaution.

The middle-aged lady living in the flat received serious burns to her hand after trying to move a chip pan which had set alight.

She was treated at the scene by firefighters and paramedics then taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary by ambulance.

The kitchen was destroyed in the fire, and six further rooms also received damage by heat and smoke. The property was fitted with a fire alarm, but it did not operate correctly.

n The fire service advises that people dispose of their chip pans and buy a deep fat fryer instead. About half of all chip pan fires result in injuries to the occupants and some prove fatal.

For a free smoke alarm and advice on how to prevent fire in your home phone call free on 0800 1691125.