An elderly woman and a man were taken to hospital over the weekend after two separate flat fires in Ipswich.

Fire crews were called to Woodlark Close, in Chantry, at around 1.30pm yesterday after a woman in her 80s had inhaled smoke.

She was conscious but was taken to Ipswich Hospital as a precaution.

A spokesman for the ambulance service said the casualty’s carbon monoxide level would need to be checked.

The small fire was out by around 1.45pm.

Neighbour, Glyn Clark, was at home when she heard sirens. She said the woman was well respected in the community and wished to thank the emergency services.

“The fire brigade were brilliant and the paramedics were here very quickly,” she said.

“They made sure that she was ok and acted very swiftly. She is a gorgeous lady who is well respected.”

Meanwhile at around 12.50am on Saturday firefighters and ambulance crews were sent to Dunwich Court sheltered housing in Waveney Road.

They found a small fire in the kitchen of a flat and treated a man for smoke inhalation. The ambulance spokeswoman was unable to confirm his age but said he was taken to Ipswich Hospital in a conscious state.

Fire crews attended another emergency just before 9am on Saturday, when one fire engine and a turntable ladder were sent to the former Grimwade’s store on Ipswich Cornhill after reports that a fire had been seen in the building.

The crews were able to bring it under control within a few minutes, although a large part of the Cornhill was sealed off for sometime as weekend sales shoppers headed to the town centre.

By lunchtime, however, the fire service had left the scene and there was no sign of the drama apart from a note in the door of the Now clothing store which currently occupies the site saying it was temporarily closed.