Two quick-thinking police officers saved an elderly woman from a raging fire in her home, the police said in a statement on Saturday.

The incident happened on Thursday afternoon, when officers were dispatched to Triq Raymond Caruana in Gudja following reports of smoke inside a home.

Officers immediately rushed into the building and went to its upper floor, where they found a 72-year-old woman in a state of panic and confusion.

They escorted the woman outside and into the care of a medical team, who took her to Mater Dei Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and shock.

A short while later, Civil Protection Department firefighters reached the scene and extinguished the fire, which is believed to have been sparked by a candle.