Disabled smoker's lucky escape after lit cigarette sparks house fire

A disabled man woke to find his home ablaze after a lighted cigarette fell on to the carpet as he slept.

Neil Cartwright was knocked off his feet by the force of the blast when he went to investigate fumes seeping under his bedroom door after being woken by the smoke detector.

The 48-year-old managed to press the community alarm fob around his neck for help. The operator alerted the emergency services on his behalf.

The blaze gutted the bedroom of his flat in King Street, Walsall Wood, on Saturday night.

Fire crews found him dazed on his hands and knees near the front door suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation. He was given oxygen therapy at the scene before being taken to Walsall Manor Hospital for further treatment.

Today he said: "I hold my hands up, it was my own fault, I'd been smoking. I just can't believe the damage it's caused."

Mr Cartwright had earlier been watching The Voice on the television whilst talking to his 74-year-old mother, his registered carer, on the phone.

After finishing the conversation he got up and went to the bedroom to pick out some clothes for the wash. As he did so, he placed his burning cigarette on the window sill.

Mr Cartwright then went to the kitchen to load up the washing machine before returning to the living room where he promptly fell asleep in an armchair.

When the fire alarm woke him, he looked around and saw smoke coming from under his bedroom door and, without thinking, opened it to take a look.

He said the next second there was an explosion which took out the windows and blew him backwards off his feet.

"I just wanted to see what was happening. I was coughing and I could smell smoke. The next thing I was on was on the floor.

"Fortunately I was wearing my community alarm fob and was able to press it for help. The manager there dialled 999 and contacted my mother.

"They also told me to get on my hands and knees to avoid breathing in the fumes. I don't think I'd be here if it wasn't for that.

"The firefighters were able to get access to my flat and got me out."

Mr Cartwright, who suffers from epilepsy and heart disease, and walks with a stick as a result of a road accident, was released from hospital on Monday.

He believes chemicals in a spray used to treat the carpets earlier in the day, may have accelerated the blaze.

A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said the blaze in the first-floor apartment severely damaged the bedroom and caused smoke logging to the rest of the property.