Three people were taken to hospital after breathing noxious fumes in a fire in a block of flats in Kaarina in southwestern Finland early on Wednesday.

A further 17 people who had inhaled smoke were treated at a healthcentre.

The fire chief said it had been practically impossible for the residents to evacuate the building through the front doors without rescuers' help as the fire had started in the basement. No one was killed in the fire.

STT