Firefighters say a man is lucky to be alive after they rescued him from a fire in his Salford home.
Crews found the 50-year-old lying face down in a smoke-logged flat on Singleton Road, off Bury New Road, at around 4.20am this morning, Wednesday 14 October.
A neighbour spotted smoke in the early hours of the morning and managed to call firefighters while escaping the burning building.
Firefighters smashed the door down and quickly found the 50-year-old on the floor by the kitchen – saving his life.
Officers say had it not been for the neighbour, it would have been a very different outcome.
Crews found later there was no working smoke alarm at the property.
Singleton Road – Google Street View
Watch Manager Chris Rainford said: “The first and second floors were smoke logged, so when one of the residents woke up he thought it was his flat on fire and called us.
“It was only when he was getting out of the building that he realised it was his neighbour’s flat and when we got there he told us there was a man trapped on the first floor.
“He had tried to get him out but couldn’t.
“He was very lucky, all the residents in the building were, because there was no working smoke alarm to provide an early warning. If the man hadn’t woken up and discovered the smoke it could have been a very different outcome.”
Three fire engines attended the scene and quickly extinguished the fire using a hose reel and positive pressure ventilation.
The 50-year-old was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.
Watch Manager Rainford added: “I would encourage everyone to check their smoke alarm – it takes seconds to make sure it is working. You never know when you might need it and it could make all the difference.”
