A DOCTOR has told how he helped to save the lives of two people moments after they were dragged from a burning house.

Dr Saboor Ghauri was passing by when firefighters pulled an unconscious 25-year-old man and a woman in her early 20s from the house, in Turnbull Street, Hartlepool, shortly after 6pm on Wednesday.

The doctor attended to the couple in the street and used an oxygen machine until the ambulance arrived.

"Their lives were in danger, no question," said Dr Ghauri, a surgeon at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital.

"They appeared to have inhaled a lot of smoke and noxious fumes, which can cause a lot of damage. They needed as much oxygen as they could get.

"I would like to pay tribute to the firemen for getting them out of there."

The couple were taken to the high dependency unit of the University Hospital of Hartlepool, but discharged themselves yesterday afternoon.

Police are investigating and have not ruled out arson.

The property is one of three derelict neighbouring houses in the street and when firefighters were called they had not expected to find anyone inside.

Station officer Steve Harll, of Hartlepool Fire Station, said the pair were found in an upstairs bedroom.

He said: "The ground floor was well alight with flames coming out the windows.

"Two firefighters went upstairs to make sure nobody was in there. Unfortunately, this time there was - which was totally unexpected because it was a boarded up house.

"We thought they were dead when we got them out. Much longer in there and they would have been dead, there's no doubt about that."