A MAN was rescued from his home in Accrington after a fridge freezer caught fire in his kitchen.

Fred Woods, said to be in his mid-60s by neighbours, was pulled from his terraced house in Sultan Street by firefighters yesterday morning.

Ten firefighters from Hyndburn fire station spent more than three hours on the scene putting out the blaze.

The Red Cross also attended the incident to provide Mr Woods with assistance after fire chiefs said he could not return because of the damage caused.

Karen Walsh, who lives next door to Mr Woods, said she and her husband, David, were woken up by the sound of fire engines at around 2am.

She said: “Me and my husband came and and there were just loads of firemen.

“They were at it for about an hour-and-a-half and then they came and asked us if we knew any of his relatives.

“We know he’s got a sister in Oswaldwistle and family in Great Yarmouth so passed on the details. I don’t think he was too seriously injured but I heard he was taken to hospital.

“The Red Cross turned up to help because they said he couldn’t stay in the house overnight. My husband has been in with the firefighters and said there was a lot of smoke damage.

“Fred is retired and he has lived there for as long as we have been here, which is 23 years.”

Watch manager Gary Drinkwater, from Hyndburn fire station, said an electrical fault was to blame for the fire.

He added: “Our two crews were there from 2am to 5.20am and there was quite a lot of damage.”