MENTAL health bosses in Bradford are investigating how a young woman was left fighting for her life after being engulfed by flames in a bedroom at Lynfield Mount hospital.

The 24-year-old who suffered serious injuries early yesterday and was rushed to Leeds General Infirmary before being transferred to a specialist burns unit in Manchester, where she remains in a critical condition.

Detectives were working with fire investigators to establish the cause, but today a police spokesman said it was not being treated as suspicious at this time.

Fire crews from Fairweather Green, Shipley and Bradford attended the 7am incident along with police and ambulance.

A month ago, a ward at the hospital had to be evacuated following a fire which had started in a female toilet but Nicola Lees, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Nursing, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, said there is no link.

The woman in Sunday's incident was treated at the scene by ward staff before the emergency services attended and no other patients or staff were at risk, Ms Lees added, describing the incident as a 'rare occurrence.'

The Trust has informed the Care Quality Commission, its own commissioners and Bradford Safeguarding and is working closely with the police as well as carrying out its own internal investigation.

Ms Lees said: "Everyone who visits, works or who is cared for at any of our sites is made aware of our Smoke Free policy. For patients and visitors this means that any devices which could cause a fire should be disclosed and stored appropriately before entering patient areas. This can often prove challenging when visitors come to the wards. We would like to take this opportunity to ask visitors to respect the healthy, safe environment we are trying to create."

She added: "We care for patients who have complex and challenging mental health needs. We take their safety, along with staff and visitors very seriously. We would like to reassure people that this particular incident is regarded as a rare occurrence in the services we provide and is not related to previous incidents. Our nursing staff are dedicated and work hard to support all patients in our care, including compliance with required health and safety mandatory training. We will continue to work with the relevant agencies to investigate the incident, applying our own psychological expertise, to understand if and how improvements can be made."