Baby rescued from blaze

Firefighters were called to the scene

A woman and her 17-week-old baby have been rescued from a house fire in east Belfast.

The alarm was raised at about 1725 BST on Thursday when neighbours heard a smoke alarm at the house at Cheviot Street in the Strandtown area of the city.

Firefighters forced their way into the house and found the baby in a room on the ground floor and the mother upstairs.

If the smoke detector had not been sounded no-one would have been aware of this fire

Brian Greer
Fire officer

Divisional fire officer Brian Greer said the pair had a lucky escape.

He said the fire had taken hold in the kitchen, but it was not yet known how it started.

"The fire crews had to use breathing apparatus to tackle the fire in the kitchen," he said.

"The child on the ground floor was at greater risk than the parent on the first floor."

The baby was taken to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children for observation.

Mr Greer added: "If the smoke detector had not been sounded no-one would have been aware of this fire and the consequences are too great to imagine.

"We have been pushing the campaign - every week check your smoke detector, it really is your only chance."