An elderly man is in a critical condition following a fire in Bungay this morning.

The man in his 80s and his dog had to be rescued from their home on The Grove after a fire erupted.

Paul Field, station commander for Lowestoft South Fire Station said: 'We were called around 9.30am to a fire in a single detached bungalow.

'We were confronted with the fire in the lounge, rescued a casualty who has been taken to hospital and we extuinguished the fire.'

'The cause is too early to say as we are still investigating. We have kind of put it down to an area in the lounge which we are concentrating on but it is early days yet.'

The man was taken by ambulance to the James Paget Hospital.

A spokesman from the East of England Ambulance Service said the man went into a cardiac arrest but was resucicated and is now in a critcal condition.

Brian Miles, saw the fire from his home nearby.

He said: 'My dog started barking and we could smell a burning rubbery kind of smell.

'We looked outside and there was a big crowd gathering around the bungalow and when I walked down that's when I saw the fire engines and smoke billowing out from the vents.

'It is horrible I last spoke to the man on Christmas Eve to give him a Christmas card and we saw him out walking his dog just yesterday.'

The fire though significant was put out in around 15 minutes.

Police and fire services remained on scene throughout the morning to carry out their investigations.