Resident rescued after fire in high rise flat in Milton Keynes

A Grenfell-type disaster was averted when 24 firefighters rushed to the scene of a fire in a high rise block of flats in Bletchley over the weekend.

The blaze broke out in the bathroom of a flat in the nine-storey high Stephenson House in Wetherburn Court at 4.46pm on Saturday.

The flats have the plastic-type cladding as Grenfell Tower and this raised concerns among experts at Bucks Fire and Rescue Service in 2017, in the wake of the London tragedy.

At the time, they issued an enforcement notice to the management company to carry out urgent improvements to smoke detectors, alarms, and escape routes.

On Saturday, as soon as the fire was reported, the response from Bucks Fire Service was massive.

Around 24 firefighters, six fire engines, an aerial appliance and four fire officers attended. Crews were drafted in from Buckingham, Aylesbury, Beaconsfield and Bedfordshire to help.

A Bucks fire spokesman said: "An occupant of the flat suffered from smoke inhalation and was assisted to safety."

First aid was administered by the fire service until the arrival of the ambulance service.