Cope House on the Redbrick estate, Old Street

A WOMAN in her 90s was said to have been “lucky to get out alive” after a fire at an estate near Old Street.

Firefighters tackled the blaze at a third-floor flat in Cope House on the Redbrick estate on Saturday morning.

The London Fire Brigade are investigating the possibility that it was sparked by a discarded cigarette which lit up bedding.

The woman is being treated in hospital for smoke inhalation but neighbours say fire crews heroically saved her life.

A neighbour, Sylvia Page, who has lived on the estate for 30 years with her husband Terry, said: “I woke up at quarter-to-three in the morning to the sound of fire alarms but I didn’t take any notice because they are so sensitive and go off all the time. It wasn’t until I could hear all this commotion next door, I opened my front door and there was all this smoke.”

The fire brigade had to break into the flat

She added: “I had a spare key for the [neighbour’s] flat but I couldn’t find it in my state of panic. But the fire brigade were brilliant. They managed to push the door down and when they did, the fire poured out of the flat but they got her out safe. She was lucky to get out alive. The flat is completely burnt out.”

The estate is run by Clarion Housing Group, which took over from Circle Housing. Ms Page said the housing association hadn’t responded quickly to the fire. “The corridor is a mess and they still haven’t sent someone to clean it,” she said. “They just don’t seem bothered about the tenants.

“On Monday, I could hear someone outside cleaning the windows and I went to stop them because the windows were damaged after the fire. They thanked me and said if I hadn’t come down to help them they could have died because the glass could have broken and fallen on them.”

A statement from the Fire Brigade said: “Smoking vastly increases the risk of having a fire in your home. We’d rather you didn’t smoke at all, but if you are a smoker it’s absolutely vital you ensure your cigarette is completely out when you’ve finished smoking it. If you don’t you are at risk of starting a fire that could destroy not only your home but your life and the lives of your loved ones.”

A spokeswoman for Clarion Housing Group said: “Following the completion of London Fire Brigade’s inspection on February 12, we have today carried out a survey at the address to assess the work required as well as cleaning of the communal area. We are also arranging for the corridor walls to be repainted.”

She added: “Our thoughts remain with our resident affected by the fire and we wish them a speedy recovery.”