A man was left needing treatment after rubbish on top of his cooker sparked a fire in Carlisle.

Firefighters were scrambled to Millholme Avenue in Currock shortly after 9pm last night.

The emergency call came just minutes after crews had returned from Brunton Park where a small fire had broken out in electrical cupboard as a crowd of 3,700 watched Carlisle United take on Stevenage.

A man, understood to be in his 40s, needed treatment from North West Ambulance Service paramedics.

Crews from the city's two fire stations, in Eastern Way and Raffles, were sent to the scene.

A spokesman for White Watch at Carlisle East Fire Station said: "We had reports of a grill pan fire in Millholme Avenue.

"When we got there we found the property was smokelogged and there was a male casualty suffering from smoke inhalation."

Two firefighters entered the property wearing breathing apparatus. A large fan was used to remove the smoke.

Crews were at the scene for around 40 minutes.

Earlier at Brunton Park, ground staff had called the fire brigade after a fault in an electrical cupboard.

The fault cut power to a floodlight during the match.

Staff were able to extinguish the small fire before firefighters arrived.

Firefighters today praised staff at the ground for their quick-thinking actions, stating they had put out the fire using a carbon dioxide extinguisher before the crew arrived.

A Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service crew remained at the scene as a precaution until an electrician arrived to repair the damage.