A CHAMPION for disabled people's rights has died in a fire at her home.

MBE Alison Thomason was found dead in bed in her smoke-filled house in Walmersley on Friday morning. Her female home carer desperately tried to wake the 53-year-old multiple sclerosis sufferer before she was forced to flee the burning semidetached property in Springside Road.

Flames ripped through a rear, ground floor living room of Mrs Thomason's home and toxic fumes enveloped the rest of the house, including her bedroom.

Firefighters were called at 9.25am when the carer asked a passer-by to alert the emergency services.

She was later given oxygen by officers as colleagues wearing breathing apparatus searched the building and pulled Mrs Thomason from the house. Despite efforts by the fire service's trauma team and paramedics, the divorcee was pronounced dead on arrival at Fairfield General Hospital.

Mrs Thomason was awarded the MBE in 1998 for her work improving the services for disabled people and was instrumental in introducing Ring and Ride to Bury in 1987.

Six years later, she founded Bury Shopmobility, a service now used by thousands of shoppers and visitors to the town each year.

Born in Bolton, Mrs

Thomason was the second in her family to be awarded an MBE. Her father, Mr Thomas Renwick received the same honour for bravery during the Second World War.

Friends who worked with Mrs Thomason are still in shock at her death.

Investigations into the cause of the blaze are still ongoing although it is understood an electrical short-circuit on a heater or a lap-top computer sparked the fatal fire.

Leading Firefighter Paul Newby was among the first crew to reach the scene. He said: "The home carer fought her way through thick smoke to try and reach Mrs Thomason but she was unable to wake her. She was overcome by smoke and was forced to escape.

"Mrs Thomason was carried from the burning building and members of our team gave her emergency mouth-to-mouth until an ambulance crew arrived.

"Both casualties were taken to hospital by paramedics and we learned soon after that Mrs Thomason had died."

Firefighters said that despite Mrs Thomason's home being filled with state-of-the-art mobility equipment, including an electric stair-lift, no smoke alarms had been fitted.

An inquest is due to open later this week.