A GROUP of friends, including four men from North Tawton, saved a woman from a burning chalet whilst on holiday in Scotland last week.

The female occupant of the rurally located chalet near Tomintoul in the Moray region of north east Scotland was pulled to safety moments before her home went up in flames last Friday.

The five men — John Kinsey, David Nicks, Tony Fisher and Kevin Armstrong from North Tawton and Ben Smith from Ilfracombe were passing in a car when they noticed smoke bellowing from a vent in the building.

Immediately they alerted the emergency services and firefighters were called to the property just before midday.

Without a second thought, the group of friends bravely smashed their way into the burning chalet after hearing a woman shouting for help.

After realising the door was locked the men used a large plant pot to break in. They rushed inside and managed to pull the woman out of the fire.

When the emergency services arrived the woman was taken to hospital to be treated for burns and smoke inhalation.

Firefighters then spent about three hours bringing the blaze under control.

John Kinsey, 56, told how he and his four friends were travelling around Moray on a whisky tour when they spotted smoke coming from the single-storey wooden property.

He said: ‘We stopped the car and ran over. I rang the emergency services, while the other lads went to check the building.

‘They heard a lady shouting for help. The door was locked so they used a big plant pot to break in.

‘We got her outside and the whole thing just went up in flames in about 10 minutes.’

Mr Kinsey said the woman was extremely concerned about the safety of her dogs.

‘We managed to get the dogs to the back of the garden and then when the fire brigade arrived they went inside to get them.’

A police spokesman said that the woman was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and received treatment for her injuries.

Mr Kinsey said: ‘We now know the lady had first degree burns on her hands but is out of hospital and living with her sister in Aberdeen. We are all just so relieved that she is alright.’

Fire crews used jets to blast water onto the building as it burned while others used breathing apparatus to try and get inside to save the animals.

A fire service spokesman said that there would be an investigation to determine what started the fire.

‘One female was rescued from the property,’ he said. ‘She was taken to hospital with injuries. There was also a male casualty who did not require assistance.

‘The first appliance arrived at the scene at 12.25pm. The last one left at about 4pm. The building was well alight when they arrived.’