THREE ‘heroes’ ran to the rescue of a man who was asleep in a burning building.

The trio were visiting a friend’s house when they heard a smoke alarm and saw thick, black smoke pouring out of a property across the road.

Shane Nickerson, Garry McPherson and Mark Geoghegan said they did not hesitate to climb into the detached home, in Francis Street, Clayton-le-Moors, through a downstairs window to help 43-year-old Dave Valentine.

Father-of three Mr Nickerson, 26, said: “We just wanted to get him out. We heard the alarms going off and we saw Dave open the front window, so we thought he must have burnt some toast. We sat back down and, about 10 minutes later, the alarm went off again and we saw smoke coming out of one of the top windows.

“He was asleep on the settee, so we climbed in. There was black smoke everywhere, but we managed to lift him out of the front window.

“It is just lucky he opened it a bit earlier, or we would not have been able to get in.”

Father-of-six Mr McPherson, 30, said he was also concerned about making sure Mr Valentine’s two dogs were safe. The painter and decorator said: “We could hear Dave’s two dogs, Sadie and Bruno, barking and there was smoke coming out of the window. We tried kick-ing in the door, but it did not work. I managed to get in and pull Dave out of the window and then he just seemed to collapse.

“I do feel like a bit of a hero, but I just had to do it and I did not think twice.”

Mr Valentine was treated at the scene and needed CPR to stabilise him before he was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital. He was later discharged. Mr Geoghegan, 30, said: “When we went in, I opened the kitchen door and I just saw a blast of orange, so I shut it again quickly.”

Firefighters are investigating, but it is thought the fire may have started in the kitchen, at around 8.30pm on Tuesday. An electric deep fat fryer, microwave, and kitchen cupboards were destroyed, and the rest of the kitchen was smoke damaged.

Hyndburn crew manager Liam Barker said: “On arrival, the fire service was faced with heavy black smoke pouring out from the house, with one male casualty sitting on the pavement with breathing difficulties.

“The condition of the man deteriorated swiftly, resulting in him becoming unconscious, and only swift intervention of CPR by fire crews and paramedics from North West Ambulance Service stabilised him. This incident highlights the importance of a working smoke detector.”