Two people were hurt and a baby suffered smoke inhalation during a fire in Southampton today.

Firefighters evacuated 18 residents to safety following the blaze in the St Mary's area of the city this morning.

An investigation is now underway into the fire broke which broke out at the ground floor shop in derby Road at about 4.50am.

When fire crews arrived they found the shop well alight and residents unaccounted for.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service successfully led residents in the adjoining houses to safety, including the occupant of the flat above the fire-stricken shop.

But during the incident one 18-year-old suffered burns to his arm and was treated by an ambulance crew.

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A three-month-old baby was also treated for smoke inhalation while another man was taken to hopsital after suffering a back injury.

Fourteen firefighters and two officers attended scene and used six sets of breathing apparatus, two hose reels, and one main jet to bring the blaze under control.

Watch Manager Shaun Cheeseman of St. Mary's Community Fire Station said: "By giving an early warning of fire, the working smoke alarm has given precious minutes for these residents to escape, and has no doubt saved their lives.

" This was a challenging fire that was well-alight on our arrival and our specialist fire investigation team are now working closely with the Police to establish the cause."

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service strongly recommends that you have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of your home. Ideally these will be situated in every other room except your kitchen and bathroom, as the smoke from cooking and steam from hot water can cause false alarms.

"Your working smoke alarm will give you very early warning of a fire - but when it sounds, you will need to know what to do. Think about how you will call the Fire and Rescue Service. Your working smoke alarm will give you the warning and the time to get out, get the fire service out… and stay out," added Watch Manager Cheeseman.

Hampshire's highly successful Arson Task Force, an intelligence-led unit delivering tactical advice and specialist support to Hampshire Constabulary and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, is now carrying out a comprehensive investigation to establish the cause of the blaze.