FIREMEN snatched a partially blind man from almost certain death after his bed caught fire.

Quick thinking by local hero Matt Rixon prevented a tragedy.

The victim was already unconscious in the bedroom of his ground-floor flat in King Street, Stonehouse, early yesterday morning when Mr Rixon, manager of King Street News, raised the alarm.

Mr Rixon, aged 36, said the victim was in his 60s and partially blind. He knew the man only by his first name, Bob.

Firemen from Greenbank forced their way into King Street Flats and found the man unconscious in his burning bed.

"We got there in the nick of time," watch commander Fred Quarmby said. "A few minutes longer and it wouldn't have been the same outcome."

Mr Rixon said he had just opened the shop when a neighbour who lives above Bob's flat came in and said he thought he could smell smoke.

Mr Rixon investigated and saw thick smoke in the flat. He looked through the letterbox and could smell the smoke, he said, so he immediately called the fire brigade.

"Luckily I did. They told me later that if it had gone on much longer he would have died.

"They kicked open the door and dragged Bob out on a mattress. He was still unconscious."

Appliances from Greenbank, Crownhill and Camel's Head were called to the fire shortly after 7am.

Mr Quarmby said it appeared that the man had been smoking in bed.

"The bed had already caught on fire, but wasn't yet going well," Mr Quarmby said. "There were flames and lots of smoke."

The fire crews used two sets of breathing apparatus, one hose reel and a thermal imaging camera.

Afterwards they ventilated the flat, which was moderately damaged.

The man was treated on the spot for smoke inhalation, and later taken by ambulance to hospital.

"This type of incident is not as common as it used to be but it still happens occasionally," Mr Quarmby said.

He said there was no working smoke alarm in the flat, and urged householders to ensure that they have an alarm and to check it regularly.