A MAN who risked his life to pull his elderly neighbour from her burning home was praised by a coroner yesterday.

Alan Place carried 83-year-old Mary Potter from her house in South View, Northallerton, on March 20.

She was taken to the town's Friarage Hospital suffering from 50 per cent burns and was then transferred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where she died two days later.

Mr Place told the inquest, at County Hall, Northallerton, that he had held a jumper over his face before going into the burning house.

"I opened the back door and smoke was billowing out," he said.

"I went through the kitchen into the hallway where my feet bumped into her. I couldn't see a thing.

"I grabbed her under the arms and pulled her out."

Fire investigator Trevor Lund said that the most likely explanation was that Mrs Potter's clothing had caught fire while she was using her cooker. He said other parts of the house then caught fire as she tried to put the flames out.

Coroner Michael Oakley, recording a verdict of accidental death, said: "I would like to praise the actions of Mr Place who, despite the fact that he couldn't see, went into the house to try and see if Mrs Potter was there.

"He went through the house and managed to recover her body and these actions are clearly most laudable."