FIREFIGHTERS rescued a man from the second floor of his home yesterday after a blaze trapped him in a loft conversion.

The man could not escape from the house in Londonderry, near Bedale, because of a fire in the ground-floor kitchen.

He called the fire brigade at 9.42am and was given advice by fire control operator Claire Brewster.

She said: "The caller was remarkably calm. I advised the man to place towels under the door. This prevented smoke entering the room, allowing time for the fire appliances to arrive."

Crews from Bedale and Northallerton rescued the man from a second-floor window using a ladder.

Watch manager Ted Nicholson praised the actions of the homeowners. He said: "The occupant of the house was given early warning of the fire due to correctly-fitted smoke detectors.

"The family had closed all the internal doors, which stopped the spread of fire and smoke. Both of these factors contributed towards a life being saved."