A fire broke out in a microwave in an apartment in Larnaca on Friday morning, fire brigade spokesman Andreas Kettis said.
He said the fire brigade had responded to a call at 5.19am and found the fire to have broken out in a first-floor apartment in the town, in which an elderly woman and her resident carer lived.
The fire, he said, had been noticed by a passerby, who had noticed the smoke and then “carried the two women to the apartment’s balcony”.
He added that paramedics had then provided first aid to the pair, as both were exhibiting symptoms of smoke inhalation.
As for the cause of the fire, he said it “started from an electrical problem which came about due to an overloaded power strip”.
He added that the fire brigade will carry out further investigations in due course.