An East Sussex woman is recovering in hospital today after a fire broke out in her flat.
She and her husband had left a candle on their coffee table before going to bed. It tumbled over, setting magazines and the carpet ablaze.
A man living above them in the four-storey block of flats saw billowing smoke and banged on their door. All three escaped.
A dozen firefighters tackled the blaze, which was largely contained in the living room of the home in Braybrooke Road, Hastings.
Sub Officer Paul Way said: "Had the person above not raised the alarm then it could have been a lot worse and I suspect they would have lost their lives."
The woman, who has asthma, was taken to Conquest Hospital in Hastings after breathing in smoke.
Her husband was treated by paramedics at the scene.
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