An elderly man was taken to hospital after firefighters rescued him from a house fire in north Dorset.

Crews from Sturminster Newton and Blandford fire stations were sent to the incident at just after 1am this morning after the 93-year-old man called to say there was a fire in his lounge.

The blaze was extinguished using two breathing apparatus and a hose reel jet. The cause of the fire was accidental and investigations determined the cause was a portable halogen heater which had fallen over.

The elderly man, who lived alone, was rescued by the firefighters from his Sturminster Newton home and taken by ambulance to hospital for treatment.

A spokesman for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "There was a smoke alarm in the property but this was not working so we would like to take this opportunity to remind people of the importance of having working smoke alarms fitted in their homes."

More information is available at: www.dwfire.org.uk/safety/safety-at-home/smoke-alarms/