Firefighters dragged a man from a burning flat after spotting him through their thermal imaging equipment.

The smoke was so thick when crew members arrived at the property in St George’s Terrace, Brighton, they could only see the man, who is in his 50s, by using the special equipment.

They managed to drag him from the studio flat where he was handed over to paramedics.

Emergency services were called to the property shortly after midnight this morning (December 17).

With no response from inside, the crew from Preston Circus broke down the door and went inside.

Dave Statham, the station’s watch commander, said: “We went through and there was a huge plume of smoke. When it is thick like that you can’t see what is in front of you. By using the thermal imaging equipment, we could see the fire and also the gentleman on the bed.

“We dragged him out and handed him over to paramedics before he was whisked off to hospital. He had taken in a lot of smoke.”

The studio flat was gutted and a fire investigation has been launched.

The condition of the man is as yet unknown.