Firefighters rescued a man from a house fire on Beacon Way, Rickmansworth, in the early hours of Thursday, July 16. (From Watford Observer)

Firefighters rescued a man from a house fire on Beacon Way, Rickmansworth, in the early hours of Thursday, July 16.

1:10pm Monday 27th July 2009 in Community By Nick Ashman

Firefighters rescued a man from a house fire on Beacon Way, Rickmansworth, in the early hours of Thursday, July 16.

A call was made at 1am by neighbours who had discovered the fire. Crews from Watford and Rickmansworth promptly arrived at the scene where neighbours indicated that an elderly gentleman was trapped on the first floor of the property.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus entered the property; one crew tackled the fire in the lounge, while the second crew conducted a search using a thermal image camera. They found the man, who was suffering from smoke inhalation, on the first floor and led him to safety. He was then taken to hospital by ambulance.

Firefighters ventilated the property using large high pressure fans. They found that it had not been fitted with smoke detectors and that the actions of the neighbours probably saved this man’s life.

Watch Commander Chris Merrit said: “It only took around eight minutes to extinguish the fire and rescue the gentleman, but this incident highlights the importance of having a working smoke alarm. We would like to praise his neighbours for acting quickly as they played a very important part in saving his life, had the fire remained undetected any longer there could have been a very different outcome.”

The cause of the fire is currently still under investigation.

Keith Emsall, Executive Member for Community Safety and Culture said: "We recommend residents check that everyone in their household knows what to do and how to get out in the event of a fire. Get a smoke alarm and test it every week to make sure you wake up, and have a fire escape plan in place, so you and your family can get out as quickly as possible. It really could mean the difference between life and death.”

Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service offers home fire safety checks, during which firefighters provide invaluable fire safety advice tailored to the property, as well as fitting free smoke alarms where needed.

Anyone who would like a home safety check can call Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s freephone number on 0800 5873347 and arrange an appointment.

All safety checks are carried out by uniformed personnel who will show an official ID card and always use an agreed password.