Witness appeal after fire at block of flats

The fire is believed to have started in an alleyway

Police are appealing for witnesses after a fire broke out at a block of flats in the early hours of Wednesday.

Staffordshire Police said witnesses saw "two or three" people walking away from the flats on Brookwood Drive and Henderson Grove in Meir, Stoke-on-Trent, at about the time the fire started.

The force is now asking nearby residents to check CCTV, doorbell camera or dashcam footage as it said the people were seen walking towards Lansbury Grove.

The city council said a small number of residents affected by the fire would be unable to return to their homes for "many months".

The road has been closed while an investigation is carried out

The authority said it was working to rehome the families in temporary accommodation.

Residents from homes in the building which were not as badly affected were allowed back on Wednesday afternoon after power was restored.

More than 30 firefighters were called to the blaze in the two-storey flats at about 04:00 BST.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said two people had been rescued from the building, and all residents had been accounted for.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said a man and a woman were checked at the scene for injuries not believed to be life-threatening and were taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital.

Another man was checked at the scene for injuries not thought to be serious and was discharged by paramedics.

The fire service added it believed the fire started in an alleyway.

Staffordshire Police said the road was closed, as officers and multiple fire engines, along with a specialist water carrier and aerial ladder platform were still at the scene.

Man and dog rescued

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, was inside a flat when he saw flashing blue lights coming towards the building.

"Next minute, I’ve had my mate across the road shout out the window: 'Get out the flat'," he said.

"All the electrics cut out, and it just started filling with smoke.

"I grabbed my dog, grabbed his lead and collar, shut the bedroom door and tried to get out the window."

He described it as the "scariest experience of his life", and said he was lucky to be alive.

The fire service used a ladder to rescue the pair from the window.

"The blaze itself was immense, people were saying it just filled the street orange, it was that bright."

Camelia Grigore said she and her family had been woken up by the sound of emergency services responding to the fire, but initially thought it was "gunshots".

"It was two firemen trying to rescue a man on the first floor, and his dog," she said.