Neighbours praised fire crews yesterday for their quick response to a flat fire which 'could have been much worse'.

Crews were called to a middle floor flat in Southwell Road, in Lakenham, Norwich, Thursday at around noon.

One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said the fire started in the flat's kitchen and the woman who lived there was at home at the time, sitting in the front room.

He said a tortoiseshell cat owned by the woman had jumped from the balcony and had not yet been found.

He added: 'She's a lovely lady, I think she's okay, the fire crews were here pretty fast.'

Another neighbour, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said the fire crews were on the scene 'really quickly'.

She said if they had not arrived so soon things 'could have been so much worse' and 'it was a good job the alarm was raised quickly'.

Smoke could be smelt in the lobby of the three-floor flat block Thursday afternoon.

Burned debris, which appeared to be parts of kitchen units, lay outside the door but there was no sign of the blaze from the outside of the building.

The road was closed while emergency crews, including paramedics, were on scene but no one is thought to have been seriously hurt.

One of the neighbours added: 'They did close the road for a while, I think so they had enough space to work and make sure the fire was out.

'They weren't here for that long really, they got it out quickly.'

The road was reopened around 1.35pm.

East of England Ambulance Trust (EEAST) said an ambulance and rapid response vehicle rushed to the property at around 11.45am.

A spokesman said: 'Three people were assessed at the scene - none required ambulance transport.'

Three fire crews used hose reel jets, breathing apparatus, and a thermal imaging to fight the blaze.