THREE people had to be rescued from an upstairs flat early today when a fire ripped through the disused shop below.
Fire and rescue crews were called to the former high street showroom of The Fireplace in Bishop Auckland.
The ground floor stock room of the premises, on Newgate Street, was severely damaged by the blaze which started just before 3am.
Firefighters from the town's station used ladders to rescue three men from a first floor bedsit above the shop.
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