Horrified residents gathered in a Wolverhampton street today as firefighters battled through dense smoke to rescue an unconscious young woman.

Staff at nearby All Saints Pharmacy spotted thick plumes of smoke coming from the two-storey property in All Saints Road just after 11am and raised the alarm. Around 15 firefighters helped to fight the flames after breaking into the house.

The occupant, a young Asian woman in her mid-20s, is believed to have returned to the property only an hour earlier after being dropped off by a friend.

Pharmacist Jas Gill, from All Saints Pharmacy in Vicarage Road, said: “We could see lots of black fumes inside the ground-floor window and lots of black smoke escaping from the property.”

An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire.