NEIGHBOURS have described "corridors full of smoke" following a flat fire in which an elderly woman was killed.

The pensioner died at the Royal Berkshire Hospital this morning after being rushed to A&E in a life threatening condition.

The woman, in her eighties, was rescued from the flat in Woodley by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus yesterday evening.

An elderly neighbour who wished to remain nameless said: "The alarm was going off for a long time last night.

"I opened the door and the corridor was filled with smoke."

Four Reading fire crews rushed to the home in Norwich Drive, Woodley, after the alarm was raised at around 9.30pm yesterday.

Four firefighters entered the property with breathing apparatus and a hose reel and lifted the woman out to safety.

She was then taken to hospital in a life threatening condition where she later died.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: "We were call to a residential property in Norwich Drive, Woodley at 22.07 yesterday to reports of a fire.

"A woman in her eighties who was in the building at the time of the fire was taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital where she sadly died this morning."

Officers said the woman's death is not being treated as suspicious but investigators are working to locate the source of the blaze.

A file has been prepared for the coroner and an inquest will be opened into the death in due course.

Ellie Gray, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman, said: "The fire was dealt with by four fire fighters in breathing apparatus using one hose reel.

"One woman was rescued from the flat by firefighters and was taken to hospital."

A South Central Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We were assessing and treating one female patient and conveyed her by road to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in a life threatening condition."

The building is owned by Reading Borough Council and a spokesman for the authority confirmed their awareness of the incident.

He said: "A female tenant at Woodlands Court sheltered housing unit was taken to hospital last night following a fire in her home and has since sadly died.

"No other tenants were injured in the fire which was contained to one unit.

"We would like to thank the emergency services for their prompt response and our thoughts and sympathies are with the family of the victim.

"Obviously it is too early to comment on the causes of the fire but we will be working closely with the emergency services to establish what happened and to ensure that other residents in the block are safe in their homes."