$70,000 worth of damage but its two female occupants escaped unscathed.

Muriel Rowntree, 69, said she and her granddaughter Tanya Davis, 30, were asleep in the two-storey condo they shared at 17 Uppington Crescent when she was awakened by the heat.

Ms Rowntree told The Royal Gazette : "I can't say exactly what happened. All I remember is waking up and looking over at the window which was on fire.

There were flames about twice as big as a football.'' Blinds and the air conditioner in the window -- which she stressed was not on -- had melted from the intense heat of the flame and thick black soot covered the outer and inner walls.

She continued to tell her story while fire personnel rummaged through the charred remains of the ground floor room.

"I ran out into the hall and called her (Ms Davis). We both tried to put the fire out using water from the garden hose and a big gallon jug. The next door neighbour came and tried to help but by then the fire had really jumped up and was spreading really quickly.

"All we could do was get outside.'' Ms Rowntree and Ms Davis were rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital by Police but were later released after being examined and treated for smoke inhalation.

Bermuda Fire Services' spokesman Lt. Jon Thomson said the condo received damage estimated at $70,000 from the flames which were reported at 1.26 a.m..

Three appliances with 15 personnel responded to the scene where four firefighters extinguished the blaze with the use of two hoses.

Besides the bedroom which received significant fire damage, the rest of the lower floor was hit with severe smoke and heat damage and the second floor was hit with heavy smoke and moderate heat damage.

Ms Rowntree said she felt "a little sick'' because she could not see too clearly. Her glasses had been destroyed in the fire.

"Everything happened so quickly. Normally they are the first thing I put on.

"Thank God no-one was hurt -- that's the main thing.''