FOUR people were rescued from their Darlington homes in two separate house fires.

Firefighters were called out to a house near the town centre and a block of flats in Eastbourne early yesterday morning.

Four first floor flats were severely damaged by a fire in Cobden Street, Eastbourne, in the first fire.

The blaze started at 1.50pm, and two appliances from Darlington and two from Newton Aycliffe were called to the scene.

An aerial platform was needed for the rescue.

Firefighters, using breathing apparatus and hose reels, were at the address for more than an hour.

Three residents were rescued from the flats and given oxygen. They were taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and minor burns.

The cause of the fire at the block of four flats is being investigated by Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service.

Just before 4am, crews from Darlington were called out again to a house in Haughton Road, when a cooker on the ground floor caught fire.

Four people made their own way out before firefighters helped a fifth person to escape.

The house suffered slight smoke damage.