A MAN in his 50s was taken to hospital after he inhaled smoke during a chip pan fire at his home.
The blaze took hold on Wednesday evening at a house in Henley Gardens, Consett.
Fire crews were called at about 6.30pm.
Watch manger Barry Henderson, of High Handenhold Fire Station, who co-ordinated the operation, said: "The man was in the living room when the fire started but he managed to get out before the fire took hold of the rest of the house.
"It took about an hour to get the fire under control and it was so bad the man would not have been able to return there that night."
The man was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham, where he was treated for smoke inhalation.
The blaze gutted the kitchen and the rest of the house was damaged by smoke.
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