Fifty firefighters were battling a huge blaze overnight that ripped through a tenement flat in the east end of Glasgow.

Crews rescued one woman from the top floor flat in Tollcross while eight other people with injuries relating to smoke inhalation were treated at the scene.

Witnesses said the fire was the result of a "gas explosion", although officers were unable to confirm the cause.

The fire service received a call from a member of the public shortly before 11pm on Monday alerting them to a fire on the ground floor of the four-storey tenement building on Fairburn Street.

Fire crews were met with a well developed fire when they arrived at the scene.

The incident commander immediately requested further crews to deal with the fire and to attend to casualties at the scene.

Eyewitnesses said police closed off Tollcross Road.

A nurse, who lives nearby, described how she heard a massive explosion as she lay in bed.

She told STV News how she left her home and went to help those injured at the scene.

A spokesperson from the Scottish Fire Service said: "A number of residents have been evacuated from the effected and neighbouring properties and the fire service have requested the attendance of the British Red Cross Fire and Emergency Support Service to assist in dealing with the evacuated residents.

"The service will be in attendance for some considerable time and whilst their incident research and investigation unit is in attendance, the cause of the fire at this stage has yet to be determined. There is no further information at this time."