Bungalow fire man is lucky to be alive
The owner of a bungalow that burned to the ground was today described as lucky to be alive.
The semi-detached bungalow at Western Avenue in Whittington, near Oswestry, was destroyed in the blaze.
It is thought the householder had been trying to keep warm by sleeping on his sofa in the living room in front of an electric fire.
The man in his 50s suffered serious burns to his face and hands and is being treated in hospital. His dog died in the fire and firefighters said he was lucky to have survived.
The blaze broke out in the bungalow just before 7.30am yesterday. It was so fierce it destroyed the property although firefighters managed to save the adjoining bungalow.
Two fire crews from Oswestry were on scene within minutes of the alarm being raised.
Watch manager Ade Bowen said: "The blaze was so fierce, we could see the flames from the Oswestry bypass a couple of miles away. At first we thought it was a barn fire."
He said the occupant of the house had managed to get out of the house before the fire crews arrived.
He added: "He had serious burns to his hands and face and was treated by one of the firefighters, a trained first aider, before paramedics arrived."
He was taken to hospital by ambulance. Mr Bowen said: "It was a very serious fire and the gentleman was very lucky to escape with his life. There was also a dog in the property but sadly we were unable to save it. We found the animal in the kitchen."
Six firefighters using breathing apparatus went into the bungalow to fight the fire while others used covering jets from the outside to help bring the blaze under control by 9am.
Investigations into how the fire started are continuing.
"We are looking at the possibility that during this very cold weather, the gentlemen was trying to keep warm by sleeping on the sofa under his quilt in front of an electric fire," Mr Bowen said.
With night time temperature forecast to remain below zero throughout next week, Mr Bowen said: "We are urging people to keep warm during this cold snap, but to keep safe as well. Take simple fire precautions to ensure that there are no fire hazards in the home."
