Person airlifted to hospital after house fire

The fire service said all occupants had escaped the house before crews arrived

A person has been airlifted to Noble's Hospital following a house fire in the south of the Isle of Man.

Fire crews from the Rushen and Malew station were called to the blaze in Port Erin at about 13:00 BST after a neighbour raised the alarm.

The house's occupant had been alerted by a smoke detector and was out of the property when firefighters arrived to find a "well developed structural fire", a spokesman said.

No further details about the condition of the person taken to hospital have been released.

Crews used breathing apparatus to tackle the fire from within the building

A spokesman for the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service said the fire "had affected all rooms within the property" by the time crews arrived.

After confirming that all occupants were out of the house, firefighters initially tackled the blaze from outside before entering the building wearing breathing apparatus to fully extinguish the flames.

Station officer David Cowley said: "The activation of the smoke alarm meant that the occupant was alerted to the fire and thanks to the actions of a neighbour the emergency services were called quickly."

He urged people to "refrain from speculation" about the fire.