TWO Sherston men have been praised by the fire service and police for their quick-thinking actions that helped prevent a blaze at a house from getting out of control.

The fire had broken out in a fusebox at a house in Court Street in Sherston last Monday evening, opposite the Rattlebone Inn.

The female householder ran over to the pub asking for help and found the urgent assistance she required in the form of James Pyle, 49 and Mark Andrews, 53, who sprang into action.

Mr Andrews, who owns M P A Carpentry & Property Solutions, said: “James and I grabbed the pub’s extinguishers and ran across to the house. The meter cupboard was just above the front door and I could see flames flickering behind.

“I slowly opened it as I am aware that a flash fire could have occurred if too much oxygen had got to the fire. The supply cable was alight and sparking and there was a wooden lintel adjacent, which was smouldering, so I gave it a quick blast with the extinguisher, but it kept re-igniting so it took several goes to get it out.

“I went upstairs to check if the fire had spread and there was a lot of smoke so I assumed that the extent of the fire was not confined to just the meter cupboard.

“I thought it might be wise to get out at this point just to be on the safe side. I was met by the ghoulish figure of James Pyle who I had inadvertently covered with a poorly aimed blast from the extinguisher."

He added: “I just did what anybody else would have done – it was nothing really.”

Mr Pyle, of James Pyle & Co, said: “We were just being good Samaritans, really, with a fire extinguisher.

"If we hadn’t it could have been a lot worse.”

Sergeant Connor and PC Tripp from Malmesbury Neighbourhood Police Team were on patrol in Sherston at the time of the incident and saw residents congregating outside the house.

They waited at the house and ensured fire crews were on their way.

Two fire engines were sent and on arrival, crews confirmed the fire had spread under the floorboards and was still burning.

Nik Daines, crew manager at Malmesbury Fire Station, said: “The two people who came across from the pub had an impact on the fire.

“They held the fire back until our arrival but we don’t advise anyone to do this thing because of the risks involved.”

The blaze was soon extinguished by the fire service and the property was made safe.

Mr Andrews said: “The fire crew arrived not long after so we left them to it and retired to the pub for a pint to calm the nerves.”

Sam Curtis, 23, assistant manager at the Rattlebone Inn, said he served the heroic duo when they returned after standing outside comforting the lady whose house was extensively damaged.

A spokesman for Malmesbury Police said: “We would like to thank the customers in the Rattlebone Inn whose prompt action had clearly reduced the damage to a minimum having extinguished the source of the fire.

“Thankfully no persons were hurt, which would be largely down to the fact that the house smoke alarms were fully operational and they had been activated by the smoke, alerting everyone.

“Please remember to check you smoke alarms. It could save your life.”