A dog died and two women were rescued by firefighters during a late-night blaze in a block of flats.

The fire broke out in St John Street, Islington in the early hours of Friday morning and damaged half of a second-floor apartment.

On arrival, crews had to help two women and a dog out of the block with breathing apparatus, but another dog could not be saved. Another woman was led to safety by her neighbour.

Watch manager Graham Foskett, who was at the scene, said: “When crews arrived, smoke was coming from one of the windows and three people were unable to leave their flats.

“Crews stopped the fire from spreading to neighbouring properties and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus forced entry into a neighbouring flat to lead two women, who were on their balcony, to safety.

“There was working smoke alarms in the property where the fire started, but they were not linked up to other areas of the building so failed to raise the alarm.”

Four fire engines attended the incident, with fire crews from Islington, Shoreditch, Euston and Soho attending.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the brigade and the police.