A NEIGHBOUR'S quick actions prevented a tragedy after a 44-year-old man left food cooking under a grill and then fell asleep as the cooker caught fire.

Neighbour Annette Clark heard the smoke detectors sound at the house in Dale Close, Burnley at 12.35am on Saturday and spotted a fire in the kitchen of the semi-detached house.

Because of her actions Eddie Cook escaped from the blaze. He suffered smoke inhalation.

Mr Cook's girlfriend Fiona Duffy, 39, who lives with him, said: "It is a good job the house is fitted with smoke detectors. They are very sensitive and go off quite a lot, but my neighbour Annette knows I always turn them off. So when she heard it continuously she went to investigate and called the fire brigade. ZI am very grateful to her and the fire brigade.And everyone should fit smoke detectors."

Fiona had been in a nearby club when someone came in to tell her the house was on fire.

She said: "I ran to the house and got there the same time as the firefighters and found Eddie asleep in the living room.

"He is lucky to be alive because the house was full of smoke."

Leading Firefighter Liam Barker said: "Fortunately there were smoke detectors in the house which activated and although they had not woken him, they did alert a neighbour who called us out.

"We also rescued two dogs Jake and Ben and a cage with two chinchillas in, Thunder and Lightning."

Mr Cook was given oxygen at the scene but refused hospital treatment.

The cooker was destroyed by fire, a microwave next to the cooker was damaged and Venetian blinds melted. The ground and first floor were also smoke damaged.

Mr Barker said: "The fire would have got out of hand if the smoke detectors had not gone off and we had not been called so quickly."

Fiona said: "It is the third time this has happened in this house. My son Wesley, 20, has caused two fires by leaving chip pans on although he doesn't live here any more."

Mr Cook, a green keeper at Burnley Golf Club, said: "I do feel guilty about it. Everything just happened so fast. I am grateful to the people who spotted it."