Fire engine

A MAN had a lucky escape after a fire in a log burner spread to upstairs floorboards in a Whittlesey house.

Firefighters arrived to the home in Station Road at 3.50pm yesterday to find that the man, who was suffering from smoke inhalation, had already extinguished the blaze.

Crews administered emergency oxygen therapy and called an ambulance for the man.

Harry Edge, station manager for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “This had the potential to be a very serious fire which could have destroyed the whole house.

“This man was very lucky to have escaped. We would advise members of the public to get out of the house immediately if they spot a fire and not to place themselves in danger. Property can be replaced, your life cannot.”

One crew from Whittlesey and another from Stanground used a thermal imaging camera to check for hotspots in the building and dampened down the floorboards. They returned to their fire station by 5pm.

The cause of the fire, which started in the lounge, was accidental.