SIX people were taken to hospital yesterday after being rescued from a blazing block of flats with a football coach and firefighters performing heroic rescues.

The blaze broke out in the early hours of yesterday morning and engulfed the top flat of the block in Loanhead, Midlothian.

Local youth football coach Colin Walker, his partner Michelle Coleman and their five children named locally as Skye, Erin, Kaiden, Carly-Rose and Flynn were inside at the time.

Walker injured himself jumping from the second floor window but was still able to catch members of his family as they escaped the inferno by jumping after him. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters rescued two people and six in total were taken to hospital where their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Colin Walker’s sister wrote on Facebook: “I honestly can’t believe I am writing this early this morning I woke with phone calls to say my brother and Michelle’s flat has caught fire! I can’t believe this has happened to them they have lost absolutely everything!

“My brother has been an absolute hero jumping out the window and catching every single one of them as they jumped out from their top floor flat just in time!”

Crowdfunding pages have been launched to support the family with over £4000 already raised.

Colin’s brother Robert wrote on gofundme: “My brother Colin had to jump from a top floor flat window, and displayed incredible courage and quick thinking to intentionally land on his stomach so that he could avoid damage to his legs and arms, allowing him to catch everyone else in his family before the fire consumed them. He is in hospital in a bad way at the moment but thankfully is expected to make a full recovery.”

Initially thought to have died, the family dog, Rory, also survived.