TWO men were saved from a kitchen blaze in a dramatic rescue.

Firefighters smashed down the door of a flat in Redbridge Hill and led the residents to safety after they had fallen asleep while cooking, sparking a small kitchen fire.

The alarm was raised at 10pm on Sunday due to a build up of smoke, but crews said the damage was minimal.

Crew manager Kerry Charlton of Redbridge Fire Station, which is a matter of metres from the scene, said: “A couple of guys fell asleep and left some cooking on the stove which caused a small pan fire. There was lots of smoke and as they were asleep we had to break the door down and lead them to safety and there wasn’t very much damage in the end.”

It is understood both men were unharmed.

One appliance each attended from Redbridge and St Mary’s Stations.