An elderly man has had a lucky escape following a house fire at his home in Hillcrest, Ponciau in Wrexham.

Two fire appliances rom Johnstown and Wrexham were called to the incident at 10.26hrs today (Wednesday 7th January) and the fire was under control by 11.29hrs

The man, who is in his mid-70s had used a plastic walking stick to poke an open fire and had then put the stick to lie on the sofa whilst he went to make himself a cup of tea.

Unbeknown to him the walking stick was still extremely hot, and the heat from the stick subsequently caused the sofa to catch fire.

Although the property was fitted with a smoke detector, unfortunately it was not in working order.

The man had attempted to tackle the fire himself, but as the flames quickly spread, he evacuated building.

Dave Roberts,Partnership Manager for Flintshire and Wrexham, said:

"This resident was extremely lucky to escape unharmed without any injuries or without suffering smoke inhalation - but there was significant damage to the ground floor of his home and smoke damage to the rest of the property."

"This incident proves just how important it is for everyone to check their smoke alarms regularly - we recommend weekly. We could easily have been looking at severe injuries here, or even worse, a fatal incident."

"It is also vital for people to remember to use the correct equipment when dealing with an open fire. Sparks and embers can find themselves thrown beyond the hearth and easily cause an accidental fire, therefore use a fire or spark guard and make sure that it has the kite mark or conforms to a relevant British / European standard."

"Smoke alarms are the single most effective step that anyone can take to protect themselves from fire in the home - yet it is still a fact that around 20% of incidents we are called to reveal homes that do not have a working smoke alarm. And remember - in the event of a fire in the home - always get out, stay out and call 999.""

For more advice on fire safety and for the opportunity to have free smoke alarms fitted in your home, please contact North Wales Fire and Rescue Service for a free home fire safety check.

To register, please call our free 24 hour hotline on 0800 169 1234 or visit
www.nwales-fireservice.org.uk or text 88365, ensuring you prefix your message
with the word HFSC. And follow us on Twitter using #TestItTuesday for reminders to check your smoke alarm each week.