An elderly woman survived a terrifying ordeal when she became trapped in her blazing home early yesterday.

The woman was woken by a smoke detector, when a fire started by the front door in the hall of her ground-floor flat at about 1am.

She was unable to leave the premises and became trapped in her lounge, where she was given advice over the telephone by West Sussex Fire Brigade.

Two fire crews from Horsham and Crawley forced entry into the flat, in Laurel Walk, Horsham, and led the woman to safety before putting out the blaze.

A fire brigade spokesman said: "The cause of the fire is currently being investigated by fire and police officers.

"This incident enforces the importance of having and maintaining a smoke detector in domestic properties."

In another blaze early yesterday, three fire crews were called to a first-floor flat above a shop in Broadwalk, Crawley.

Flames were shooting out of the windows of the property, which was gutted, when they arrived at 2.15am.

Firefighters searched the premises to check there was no one inside before putting out the blaze using a jet hose. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Another fire started at a flat in Bramble Way, Brighton, at about 11pm on New Year's Eve after a woman cooking a special treat for her pets forgot about a pan she had left on the stove.

Firefighters used a hose reel to put out the small blaze.