Nine taken to hospital after Bristol house fire

Nine people were taken to hospital today following a house fire in which the family dog died.

Fire crews were called to the house on Lodge Hill in Cossham, Bristol, shortly before 7am today.

A woman and two girls were rescued by firefighters from the roof of the property, while six others escaped from the house unaided.

Four ambulances also attended the scene and took a baby, four children, two teenagers and two adults to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.

A boy under five-years-old is being treated for burns at the hospital, which has a specialist burns department.

Firefighters used breathing apparatus, two hose reel jets and one large jet to deal with the fire.

A spokesman for the Avon Fire and Rescue Service said: "At 6.42am crews from Speedwell and Kingswood attended a house fire at Lodge Hill in Cossham.

"The service was advised that persons were reported missing in the property and on arrival crews found a developed fire on the ground and first floor of a private house with a number of people requiring rescue.

"In total there were nine people believed to be in the property, most of whom had already escaped.

"The service did rescue an adult and two children from the flat roof of the property where we believed they had escaped to.

"Unfortunately in addition, there was a family dog lost in the fire."

Paramedics from Great Western Ambulance Service took all nine people to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.

A spokeswoman for the ambulance service said a boy, aged under five-years-old, was the most seriously injured and is being treated for burns.

The others, which includes a baby under 12-months-old, a boy under five, two girls under 10, two teenagers, a woman aged in her 20's and a man in his 40's, were taken to the hospital as a precaution, the spokeswoman said.

Crews remain at the scene which has been cordoned off while an investigation into the cause of the fire is under way.

PA