AN elderly man was carried to safety from a burning building after acrid smoke trapped him inside his bedroom.

The quick-thinking of neighbours, firefighters and some passing dog walkers helped save the 75-year-old from a sticky end after a fire erupted in his bathroom.

Miri Novis and her mother were walking through Century Close, Cirencester, at around 8.40pm yesterday when they heard a smoke alarm going off.

Miri’s mother called the fire service as “thick black smoke” billowed out of open windows and through the roof.

“Then everyone pitched in. A man jumped up onto the conservatory to look upstairs and that's when he noticed the man in his bedroom,” said Beeches resident Miri, 20.

“They managed to get a window open and a woman got a damp cloth to help protect the man from breathing in too much smoke.”

Father-of-two Simon Whitehead rushed to the house in such a hurry that he forgot to put on his shoes.

A neighbour was shouting “someone’s inside”, so the 43-year-old scrambled on top of the conservatory and edged along metal struts to get to the bedroom.

“Smoke was pouring out. I couldn’t get in the window so I tried to go in head first, but the smoke wasn’t like normal smoke, it was so toxic I couldn’t breathe,” said Simon, who threw up after the ordeal.

“I shouted ‘is anyone in there’. He was only on the bed but I couldn’t see him the smoke was so thick. He managed to get over and I grabbed his arm.

“He kept saying ‘I want to sit down’ but I told him he couldn’t.”

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard:

Crews scrambled from Cirencester fire station

Two engines arrived within six minutes from Cirencester and were followed by another from Fairford.

One firefighter took over from Simon on the roof and helped the elderly man breathe through the window, while a team smashed through the front doors and bore him to safety.

Paramedics took the man, named locally as Alan Brett, to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, where he is said to be shaken but recovering.

No one else was in the house at the time.

People across Cirencester paid tribute to the firefighters and neighbours who rushed to the rescue.

Sally Moore, one of the firefighter’s wives, told the Standard: “Firefighters don’t get enough praise for what they do, putting their lives on the line.”

Neighbour Dave Fletcher, 78, said: “All I saw was smoke coming out of the front windows and through the roof tiles, it wasn’t as bad as some fires I’ve seen but it was very thick.

“The fire service was here very quickly, it was a fantastic response and they were very efficient. They stayed until about 11pm reassuring people.”

An investigation is underway to find the cause of the fire.

Neighbour Mark Gardiner, 49, saw the blue flashing lights just before bed and went to investigate.

Wife Tamla Gardiner, 49, said: “He came back over and said ‘the fire brigade is there, can they have ten cups of tea!’”

The couple paid tribute to “excellent neighbour” Simon Whitehead and the team of firefighters.

Fears were raised earlier this year that lives would be put at risk as Cirencester fire station moved from a full-time crew to being manned by a part-time, or retained, crew.

Assistant chief fire officer, John Beard, said: "If ever there were a reminder of just how vitally important smoke alarms are, this is it. It is safe to say that the gentleman's smoke alarm saved his life.

"Thanks to the alarm, our Cirencester crews were on the scene within six minutes, and were able to get the 75-year-old man to safety before tackling the blaze.

"I would encourage all residents to test their alarms regularly. They could save yours and your family's life one day."

Gloucestershire fire service offers free Safe and Well visits. Teams carry out roughly 500 visits a month where they give advice on all elements of personal safety, as well as fitting smoke alarms for free.

To book go to glosfire.gov.uk or call 08001 804 140.