A WOMAN suffered second degree burns to her face and hands when fire swept through her flat.

Firefighters believe the blaze, which started in the bedroom of the first floor flat on Bradford Road, Menston, was caused by a discarded

cigarette end.

The fire broke out at around 8pm on Monday night.

Fifty-seven-year-old Susan Brooks, who lived there alone, managed to escape from the flat as the fire took hold, despite being badly burned. She had been in the living room of the flat when the fire broke out.

Firefighters from Rawdon Fire Station believe she was burned by a fireball after opening the

bedroom door to investigate the smell of smoke.

Neighbours from the flat below called firefighters from Otley, Rawdon and Shipley fire stations. A passenger on a train travelling on the nearby Wharfedale Line used a mobile phone to call

emergency services after spotting flames leaping from the windows of the flat.

The flat downstairs was not damaged.

Firefighters battled the blaze for 40 minutes, but the flat was completely burned out.

Rawdon's Leading Firefighter Simeon Sharp said: "She's extremely lucky to be alive. Someone up there must like her. Another minute or two and we would have been carrying her out."

She was taken to the Wharfedale General Hospital, Otley, for treatment, but later returned to Menston to stay overnight with a neighbour.

One neighbour, May Goundry, said: "It was

terrible. There was smoke everywhere. Susan was in a right state. Her hair was all burnt and she was very upset. I hope she's alright, she was a nice lady."