FIREFIGHTERS saved the life of a man who slept as his house filled with smoke.

The householder, aged in his forties, nearly died from smoke inhalation following a kitchen fire.

Firefighters dragged him semi-conscious from his bed, and resuscitated him with oxygen outside of his home until paramedics arrived and took over.

The paramedics then took him to hospital, where he was said to be in a comfortable condition yesterday.

Hartlepool Sub-Fire Officer Andy Breeze said: "This man is extremely lucky to be alive. If we had got to him minutes later than he would have perished in the smoke.

"Most people don't wake up from prolonged exposure to smoke, they just fade away in their sleep.

"Firefighters did a good job resuscitating him before the paramedics were able to take over. He was not fully conscious, and even when we did bring him round he didn't know what was going on."

The man had returned to his home in Furness Street, Hartlepool, after a night out, and fell asleep in bed upstairs after putting on a fryer.

The fat overheated and caught fire on the cooker, causing severe damage to the kitchen and smoke damage throughout the house.

A neighbour raised the alarm at about 1am yesterday. Six fire appliances were deployed.

Mr Breeze said the house did not have a smoke alarm fitted, which would have given the man an earlier warning.