A MAN has been dragged semi-conscious from a burning flat on Teesside.

Fire fighters were forced to break into the 61-year-old's ground floor flat, where they found him slumped in his bedroom.

The alarm had been raised by the tenants of a first floor flat in Stockton's Wrensfield Road, but it was only when fire fighters were carrying out an inspection of the apartment that they discovered smoke seeping through the floorboards from the flat below.

Dave Firth, Stockton based station manager with Cleveland Fire Brigade, said: "We noticed smoke filtering up through the floor boards. Obviously, if no-one had given the alarm the fire would have got worse, the smoke more severe and we would have had the possibility of a fire death."

It is thought Monday night's fire started when layers of grease on the man's microwave ignited. He had also fallen asleep with his iron switched on.

The man, who has not been named, was taken to the University Hospital of North Tees, suffering the effects of smoke inhalation.

There was slight fire damage to the front bedroom and kitchen of the man's flat.