A smoke alarm and a brave neighbour helped save the life of a 72-year-old man after a fire at his home last night in Eccles, Salford.
Three fire engines from Agecroft and Salford fire stations were called to Devon Close in Eccles, near Salford Royal Hospital, at around 2am on Tuesday 28 July after reports of a flat ablaze and a man trapped inside.
A neighbour had been woken by the smoke alarm and gone into the burning property to rescue the elderly man who was asleep.
Using a shovel he found in the boiler room, the neighbour broke a window on the front door to get into the flat and, covering his face with a T-shirt, he rescued the man from the settee.
Desperate to save his home,, the elderly man unfortunately decided to go back into the flat in an attempt to put the fire out.
Fire crew in breathing apparatus went in and led him out and extinguished a small fire in the oven.
Paramedics arrived to give the elderly man specialist care and take him to hospital for a treatment.
Watch Manager Warren Dore, from Eccles Fire Station, said: “The fire involved food in an oven that had incinerated and caused a lot of thick smoke.
“The man was asleep and luckily a neighbour on another floor heard the smoke alarm, which highlights just how important it is to have a working smoke detector.
“I’ve no doubt that the smoke alarm, fitted by GMFRS some time ago, saved this man’s life.”
