Houghton-le-Spring man wakes to horror kitchen fire

The man, in his 80s, woke to ringing alarms overnight on Saturday September 9.

He went to investigate and found the kitchen of his home in Houghton-le-Spring well alight with all his exit routes blocked.

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The man called 999 and fire crews arrived to find him at his bedroom window. He was brought to safety and taken to hospital where he was treated for smoke inhalation and shock.

Flames ripped through the property. (Image: TWFRS)

Pictures released today by the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service show the state of the home, which has been dramatically tarred by the flames.

Investigators later found fire was likely to have been caused by electrical fire sparked by a faulty fridge.

One of the man’s daughters said, “If it wasn’t for my dad’s working smoke alarms, the bravery of the firefighters, and having access to a mobile phone – he wouldn’t be alive today.”

The fire service have used her thanks to call for homeowners to check their own smoke alarms are working, saying that in this instance is played an important part in saving him.

Area Manager Dave Leach, of TWFRS, said: “We are glad that the gentleman has not been seriously injured but we know how distressing incidents like this can be, particularly when a home is destroyed.

“In this instance a smoke alarm played an important role in alerting him to danger, so we would ask our communities to check your smoke alarm is in working order.”

“Our crews work tirelessly on station to train for every eventuality, including house fires of this nature.

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“So that when they are called upon to make a difference and save a person’s life, they have all of the knowhow in place to successfully perform the rescue.

“On this occasion their intervention almost certainly saved a life and I want to say how proud I am of this response.

“I also want to praise staff in our Fire Control who were able to keep the occupant calm and get the information they needed to quickly dispatch crews.”