Elderly man has lucky escape from cigarette fire

A 91 year old man from East Grinstead has had a lucky escape after a fire broke out at his flat while he slept.

The man, who is deaf, discarded a cigarette which then set fire to a tea towel on the windowsill.

Luckily, the property is wired to a community alarm company that monitors the sheltered flat so the fire services were alerted very quickly.

The elderly gentleman was oblivious to the drama as he was not wearing his hearing aid.  The fire was quickly extinguished and the gentleman was led to safety and given oxygen after suffering from smoke inhalation. He did not require any hospital treatment.

Mr Brookes from East Grinstead Fire Station said: “It does not take long for a fire to spread in the home, as there are usually many combustible materials close together.”

Fire crews returned to his flat the next day to fit a special vibrating alarm designed for residents with hearing problems.