THREE people were rescued by firefighters after a fire broke out in the entrance to a block of flats.
The incident happened in Holyrood Walk, in Hartlepool, at around 5.15am on Sunday.
One man was helped to safety down a ladder while two other people were guided out of the building by firefighters after the small blaze had been extinguished.
A spokesman for Cleveland Fire Brigade said the incident was being investigated.
He said: "It was only quite a small fire, but due to the contents there was a lot of smoke."
No-one was injured.
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