A TEACHER yesterday praised firefighters who came to the rescue when his DIY efforts went badly wrong.

Three fire engines were called to the home of Tony Malone on Monday morning after someone delivering leaflets in the area saw flames and smoke billowing from an upstairs window.

Firefighters arrived at the property in South Parade, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, shortly before 11am and used breathing apparatus and a thermal imaging camera to help tackle the blaze.

They did not leave the scene until after 12.30pm and visited again in the afternoon for a safety check.

Mr Malone, 55, who works for Stockton Borough Council, had been using a hot air gun to strip paint from the window. At around 10.30am he went to a friend's house for a cup of coffee.

He said: "We were sitting in the conservatory when we heard the sirens.

"They stopped very suddenly and I thought 'that sounds a bit local, let's go and see'.

"That's when I found out it was my house."

The frame had caught fire but the flames did not spread to the rest of the terraced property.

Mr Malone said: "I was just stripping paint off and I was not aware that there was any problem at all.

"The fire brigade were fabulous -really good. They came back in the afternoon to check up and put a tarpaulin over the top in case it rained."

A fire brigade spokesman said three crews were sent because the fire initially looked serious as flames and smoke were coming from an upstairs window.

The alert was downgraded when they discovered it was only the frame on fire.

The window frame was badly damaged, but the house was unscathed.