Heater sparks "very serious house fire"

Firefighters from Doncaster, Thorne and Edlington stations attended the incident on Sunderland Place shortly before midnight on Sunday.

They used hose reels to tackle the blaze, which caused severe damage to the ground floor of the property.

A man in his 70s was given oxygen and taken to hospital by ambulance, suffering from smoke inhalation.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue group manager Simon Dunker, who attended the incident, said: “This was a very serious house fire.

“The house was engulfed in fire when our crews arrived and they did a fantastic job to prevent the blaze from spreading to neighbouring properties.”

He added: “Fortunately, working smoke alarms raised the alarm and the man managed to escape.

“It’s yet another reminder of the importance of having working smoke alarms and testing them regularly.”