Man, 41, sleeps through flat fire

Firefighters smashed through the front door of a Netherton flat to rescue a man who slept while his kitchen was on fire.

The 41-year-old man, of Rayboulds Fold, had put some rice on to cook before falling asleep in his living room at 7pm yesterday.

Neighbours raised the alarm after spotting smoke coming from the first-floor flat, which is in a three-storey block, and crews from Brierley Hill and Dudley were sent to the scene.

Crew commander John Callaway from Dudley fire station said two firemen forced entry into the flat and found the man still asleep on the settee. They carried him out into the fresh air.

Paramedics treated the man at the scene for minor smoke inhalation but did not need to go to hospital.

Fire crews left the scene before 8pm, with the only damage to the flat the broken front door.

Crew commander Callaway praised the quick-thinking of neighbours in raising the alarm.

“It could have been much, much worse,” he said.