Firefighters pulled an unconscious woman from a house blaze started by hair straighteners early this morning.

Crews had to break in to rescue the woman and resuscitate her before paramedics arrived at the property, in Morton Way, Southgate.

She had earlier been woken by a smoke alarm and dialled 999 after the straighteners, believed to have been left on overnight, burned through the wooden laminate flooring at about 5am.

She passed out before two fire engines and 14 firefighters from Finchley arrived.

She was given CPR by firefighters before the ambulance service arrived and took her to Chase Farm Hospital, where she is recovering.

A loft conversion at the house was badly damaged by the blaze.

The fire is the second in north London involving hair straighteners in one week.

On Thursday, March 28, two young boys aged four and five had to be rescued from an upstairs bedroom at a property in Pinner.

It is thought a woman at the address left the straighteners on a pile of clothes as she went to answer the door for a pizza delivery

Watch manager at Finchley fire station, Tony Keating, said: “You should never leave hair straighteners switched on and they should always be used cautiously and with care.

“The incident also highlights the importance of a working smoke alarm which sounded and this helped save her life.”

Enfield Independant