Two women were rescued by a neighbour on New Year's Day when fire erupted while they were asleep.

Bjorn Hanson used a ladder to save Felicity Molland and Elizabeth Clack, who were trapped in an upstairs bedroom of a house in Elmer Road, Middleton, near Bognor.

Firefighters were called at 8am after a candle set fire to a television set in the downstairs lounge.

They were woken by their smoke alarm and found the house filled with thick black smoke.

Assistant divisional officer Andy Tonks said: "Fortunately they had a mobile phone and dialled 999.

"The line was left open

and fire control operators calmed the women and told them to stay in the bedroom until the fire appliances arrived."

Meanwhile, neighbour Mr Hanson heard screaming, grabbed a ladder and guided the women to safety from a first floor window.

Neither of the women

were injured, although the house was badly damaged by smoke.

Mr Tonks urged people to never leave candles burning

when they went to bed and advised householders to check their smoke detectors regularly to make sure they are

working.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.