The fire started on the upper floor of the duplex in a five-storey residential block on Calle Puerta de Valencia while the grandmother was cooking. Oil in a frying pan caught fire and, when she tried to extinguish it with water, the flames intensified and quickly spread to an awning, filling the property with thick smoke.

The girl, who was on the lower floor of the duplex at the time, stayed calm while neighbours called the 112 emergency services to summon firefighters. She then allowed Local Police officers into the property, enabling them to begin the rescue without delay.

One officer carried the child outside to protect her from the smoke while another made his way to the upper floor to evacuate the grandmother. The rescue proved difficult because smoke had spread throughout the duplex.

The grandmother and granddaughter were both taken to Albacete University Hospital after suffering smoke inhalation.

A 33-year-old police officer was also admitted to the same hospital with smoke inhalation and minor burns sustained during the rescue.

Firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to neighbouring flats through their rapid intervention.