One person was hospitalised with burns from a fire that broke out on Tuesday in a block of flats in Nicosia. Two other residents had ascended to the roof to escape the blaze.

The fire started at 5.27am in a ground flour apartment of a two-storey block of flats in Nicosia and then spread to other apartments.

According to the fire brigade, while putting out the fire, firefighters found a semi-conscious person who had sustained burns.

The individual was taken by ambulance to Nicosia general hospital.

The two other people on the roof had inhaled smoke but were conscious.

The apartment in which the fire started was severely damaged. The two next door apartments were also damaged by the fire, as well as those on the other floors due to the heat generated by the blaze and the electricity board in the lobby.

Investigations are ongoing.