Three hurt in Melbourne BBQ balcony fire

A woman has burns to her face and arms after a loose fitting on a BBQ gas cylinder sparked a balcony blaze in Melbourne.

The woman in her 20s was one of three people taken to The Alfred hospital in a stable condition on Saturday, paramedics said.

A man in his 20s suffered burns to his arms and legs while a third person inhaled smoke.

The fire spread to a couch on the first-floor balcony and cracked windows at the block of apartments in Port Melbourne, the MFB said.

A sprinkler system in the building helped keep the flames "in check" before firefighters could put them out.