A woman engulfed in thick smoke after her study caught fire was rescued in the nick of time by two quick-thinking policemen who happened to be driving by when they saw the flames.

Constables Robert Vassallo, 35, and Kenneth Camilleri, 35, were on their way to escort Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi from his house in Marsacala to the Victory Day ­celebrations in Valletta when they saw the residence ablaze in Menħir Street.

A neighbour was calling for help because Marcelle Mangion, 54, was home alone at the time the flames spread around the house at about 8.10 a.m.

The two policemen dashed to the house next door, climbed to the roof, jumped over a boundary wall and entered into Ms Mangion’s house through the washroom. Once inside, they made their way down the stairs to the second floor, where, although they could hardly see anything, they spotted a moving shadow. It was Ms Mangion.

Barely able to breath, they grabbed the woman and ran back up to the washroom. But they were trapped because they could not make their way out again because of the thick smoke that had spread even to the washroom. This spurred PC Camilleri to smash a window, ripping his gloves and hurting his hand in the process, before the policemen pushed the woman onto the roof and before getting out themselves.

As the woman was being treated for smoke inhalation by paramedics, the two policemen rushed back inside to remove two gas cylinders they had seen in the courtyard.

Exhausted and out of breath, the officers then returned outside.

PC Camilleri stopped the bleeding on his hand as best he could before driving to hospital, where he needed butterfly stitches on his palm and elbow.

Justice Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici congratulated the two policemen for their brave rescue. “The actions of these two officers bear witness to the values endorsed by the police force, which is there to protect citizens regardless of any danger it could be facing,” he said.

There was another rescue. Ms Mangion’s pet cat was plucked to safety by firemen, who were called to extinguish the flames.

And the Prime Minister still got to his official engagement on time and with a police escort.