RESIDENTS as old as 100 were carried from a North Yorkshire nursing home today as fire took hold on the top floor.

Nurse John Williams, 35, raced against time to carry his charges, aged between 90 and 100, down three flights of stairs to safety before fire fighters arrived.

About 10 residents were evacuated from the top two floors of Ashfield House, Tewit Well Road, Harrogate, after the alarm was raised just after 6am.

Proprietor Angela Jackson said: "John was magnificent. He helped get everybody out before there was any danger. He just reacted very quickly and carried them down to the ground floor.

"The residents were frightened but relieved to be safe.

"I think John's back was hurting by the end of it," she said, adding that he had gone home to rest.

The home's 32 residents waited in a room on the ground floor while fire fighters tackled the blaze.

Fire chief Tom Norwood, the area's operational manager, said: "When we arrived there was a column of smoke coming from the roof. We sent in units wearing breathing apparatus and helped carry the residents to safety.

"With old people, you can't put them outside in this weather if you can help it, so we found a room on the ground floor that was safe."

He said the fire had been confined to a staff room on the top floor, where it had started after an ashtray was emptied into a bin.The room was badly damaged by the blaze and corridors were affected by smoke, but no one was hurt in the incident.

Mrs Jackson said residents' belongings had not been damaged and they would be allowed back into their rooms once the corridors had been mopped up.

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