SIX people were rescued by firefighters as smoke poured into their North Yorkshire flats from a fire in a shop below.

Fire crews were alerted to the fire in Drakes Fish and Chip shop, in Silver Street, Knaresborough, by a shop worker who found the premises filled with smoke yesterday morning.

At about 7.55am, 12 firefighters arrived at the scene and woke six people - three men and three women in their 20s - who were asleep in the flats above. They led them to safety on the street below.

None of the rescued people needed hospital treatment.

Assistant divisional officer Dave McCabe, who attended the scene, said the rescued six had "quite a lucky escape", as none of the flats had been fitted with smoke alarms.

"There could have been an earlier warning had any of the homes been fitted with smoke detectors," he said.

Ryan Bennett, 27, was one of the six people rescued from the smoke-filled flats.

"It could have been a lot worse - it could have been critical," he said.

"I was just lying in bed and I heard someone banging on the door. The flat was full of smoke - I couldn't go into the bathroom."

He said: "The fire brigade were very concerned that there were no smoke alarms."

The fire is thought to have started from smouldering batter scraps which were left in a full bin overnight.

Although the fire had not fully taken hold by the time emergency crews reached the scene, the kitchen was left with intensive smoke damage yesterday.

Updated: 10:42 Monday, June 28, 2004