A MAN was rescued by firefighters this morning (Wednesday) after a blaze broke out in a flat in Saltcoats.

The incident occurred shortly after 6am in Caledonia Road when a fault with a fridge-freezer caused a fire in the kitchen.

A 999 call was made and two fire appliances from Ardrossan Fire Station arrived at the scene in seven minutes.

Four of the firefighters had to don breathing apparatus, entering the building with two high pressure jets.

They quickly extinguished the flames and rescued an elderly man from the flat.

Two women were also inside the building when the fire broke out and an ambulance was called as a precaution.

All three people were checked out by the paramedics before one of the women was taken to Crosshouse Hospital with moderate smoke inhalation.

The man and the other woman did not require medical attention.

Children on their way to nearby Caledonia Primary School watched the end of the drama as they made their way to classes.

Group Manager Hugh Strachan, incident commander at Ardrossan Fire Station, said: “The incident was dealt with very quickly and effectively by the crews and that is to the credit of all involved."