TWENTY firefighters battled to put out a blaze at a house in Edgware early this morning that left one man in hospital.

Neighbours raised the alarm at 12.30am after seeing the fire at the building in Barnfield Road, and the fire damaged most of the ground floor before being brought under control by the four fire crews.

A 54-year-old man left the house before the firefighters arrived and was taken to hospital suffering from burns and smoke inhalation.

There was no smoke alarm in the house, and Mill Hill crew manager Edward Zanetti warned residents that a smoke alarm is essential.

He said: “Every home should have at least one. We offer residents a free home fire safety visit where we will visit your home, provide fire safety advice and fit free smoke alarms if you need them.

“Smoke alarms provide vital early warning and buy you extra time to escape if there is a fire.”