A man had to be rescued from a first-floor flat after fire broke out in the kebab shop downstairs.
The man raised the alarm in the early hours of yesterday as smoke came up from the ground floor of the premises in Mill Street, in Oakham.
A fire service controller told him over the phone what to do to keep safe until the fire crews arrived.
Within minutes, a ladder was put up to a first-floor window in the Victorian building and the man was taken to safety.
He was treated at the scene by an ambulance crew for the effects of breathing in smoke.
The incident at Zorba's Kebab Shop destroyed half the premises.
A fire service spokesman said: "We received a call at 4.17am from the occupant of the flat. He was advised on how to keep safe while the crews made their way to the scene.
"He was rescued through an upstairs window."
Firefighters quickly got the blaze under control, preventing it spreading upstairs.
They remained on site for about two hours to damp down the embers.
Nobody was available for comment at the shop but it is believed the damage will take thousands of pounds to repair.
An Oakham resident said: "It is a popular late-night food stop for people leaving pubs and clubs.
"It is in a real mess and damaged equipment has been pulled out and left in an alley nearby."
The fire service said the blaze was caused by faulty electrical equipment in the shop.
