FIRE broke out in student accommodation at the University of Cumbria’s Newton Rigg campus early this morning.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service sent four engines to the Penrith site, on The Drive, Newton Road, at about 2.30am after receiving reports of a house fire.

Crews found that the flames had taken hold of a semi-detached property containing four bedsits.

Eight firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the blaze with hose reel jets.

Two students living inside managed to safely evacuate the property.

A spokeswoman for the University of Cumbria told the Gazette that the students had been provided with alternative accommodation on campus and said that nobody was injured during the incident.

An investigation has been launched to find the cause of the fire.