An elderly man suffered serious injuries after a fire in an apartment block yesterday.

Firefighters rescued the man from the burning building after they were alerted to the fire in a first-floor apartment at 1 Devon Spring Lane, Devonshire, at about 5.30pm.

Scott Quinn, the BFRS staff officer, said firefighters wearing breathing gear went into the building to find the man, believed to be in his late eighties, and bring him to safety.

He added: "Officers entered the building and brought out an elderly man and commenced CPR.

“He's now been transported to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

"Officers were able to quickly extinguish the fire."

Frank DeSilva, who lives in the apartment above the injured man’s, said he had tried to go and help him, but was beaten back by the flames.

Mr DeSilva added: "I was watching the game and I could see smoke. I thought my neighbour was having a barbecue but then I saw the apartment was on fire.

“I ran downstairs on to his patio and the flames were right up to the top of the sliding doors so I ran back upstairs to try and call 911.

“I saw another resident and said, ‘Get out, the building is on fire’."

Mr DeSilva's mother, Maria DeSilva, 82, was with her son outside the building.

She said: "I've not been out of the house for three years. I like to stay in but we had to get out. We are all OK – we didn't inhale any smoke."

Mr DeSilva said the inside of his apartment did not suffer any damage, although the outside was scorched.

A BFRS spokesman said: "BFRS responded with three appliances from Hamilton, Clearwater Station and a total of ten firefighters.

"On arrival, fire crews saw flames emitting from an apartment on the ground floor.

"The officer in charge of the scene quickly instructed two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus to enter through a door on the western side of the building to search for the missing person.

"Firefighters removed an elderly man from the apartment and commenced CPR. The patient was quickly transported to KEMH via ambulance.

"Firefighters remained on scene to ensure that the fire was completely extinguished.

"The incident is under investigation."