Fire ripped through and destroyed a St Helier flat on Sunday and left a man requiring hospital treatment.

The blaze, in Flaxley Road, took hold at about 1.40pm on March 1 with strong winds causing the fire to spread through the property, the London Fire Brigade said.

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The man was taken to a south London hospital by the London Ambulance Service after he suffered slight smoke inhalation.

It is understood a dog died in the fire.

A spokesman for the LFB, said: "Never go back into the building once you are safely outside even to rescue pets.

"If you see a fire call 999 straight away and be visible when we arrive."

The man was outside the building at the time fire crews arrived but had been inside the converted flats.

The spokesman added: "Strong winds spread the fire through the property but thankfully no one was in the first floor flat at the time of the blaze."

Fire crews from Sutton, Wimbledon and Mitcham fire station attended and the cause of the fire, which took about an hour to put out, is believed to have been accidental.