A BRAVE neighbour helped a woman rescue a man with mobility issues from a house fire after she had saved a baby from the blaze.

The man called for help after a portable heater fell over and set fire to carpet in the downstairs living room of a house in Carmarthen Road, Slough, on Friday morning.

The woman, who was in a different room at the time, took a baby outside to safety before rescuing the man with the help of her neighbour, who then ran back into the house and extinguished the blaze.

The three people were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene, but were uninjured.

Fire officer Chris Bunyan, group manager who attended the incident, said: "Luckily, the fire was discovered while it was in its early stages and the gentleman was able to raise the alarm by shouting for help. However, this incident could easily have had a very different outcome, as there were no smoke alarms fitted in the house." Two pumps from Slough were called at 9.41am. The crews made sure the fire was fully put out and ventilated the property using fans.

The carpet was damaged and the house was smoke logged.

Mr Bunyan added: "While the neighbour is to be commended for his bravery in going back into the house and extinguishing the fire, our advice is that people should always 'get out, stay out and call 999' rather than try to tackle a fire themselves.

"We would also encourage people to make an emergency escape plan in advance and talk it through with everyone in their household, so that everyone knows how to get out of the house quickly and safely in the event of a fire." He added smoke alarms can be bought from most DIY shops and supermarkets.

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