Two women were taken to hospital after suffering burns when a stove set fire to their tent.

The two 18-year-olds were camping at Llyn Cowlyd, north of Capel Curig, while on their gold-level Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition. It is believed wind blew flames from the stove on to the tent fabric.

One woman had serious burns to her legs, and the other suffered a burnt hand and arm. They were taken by air ambulance to the Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

Fellow campers had put out the fire by the time firefighters reached the scene, at 4pm yesterday. The lake lies at an altitude of 360m (1,180ft) above the Ogwen Valley, east of the Carneddau.

A spokesman for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service warned of the dangers of using stoves in tents. He said: “We would urge people, especially those who are wild camping, in small tents to follow all the safety instructions regarding the use of their stoves.

“In some situations these stoves are not suitable to be used inside a small tent and if people are not careful it can be a recipe for disaster.”

Firefighters had had two people injured by camping-stove fires previously this year.