FIREFIGHTERS have praised a window cleaner who prevented a blaze spreading after he spotted it while doing his rounds.

And the grateful occupier promised she would buy the hero a bottle of wine as a thank-you.

Heath Blackledge, 33, was cleaning the windows of a house in Haston Lee Avenue, in Brownhill, Blackburn, yesterday, when he noticed smoke pouring from a pan which had left been on the gas cooker.

Heath called the fire service from his mobile phone and two engines from Blackburn Fire Station attended the scene.

Heath, of Bridge Street, Great Harwood, said: "The pan had a plastic lid, which was smoking quite badly, so I rang the fire brigade. I waited while they came and they were here within minutes. They did the rest."

Heath, whose brother, Carl Blackledge, is a firefighter at Accrington, played down his part in the incident, adding: "The firefighters are the real heroes, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

Sarah Gaffey, who lives at the address with husband Martin and children Melissa, three and one-year-old Patrick, thanked Heath.

Sarah, who was at work at the time, said: "I got a phone call at about noon from my husband, who told me what had happened. We were both at work at the time and firefighters had rang my husband at work to tell him. We are very grateful to Heath, it could have been a lot worse and I owe him a bottle of wine."

Peter Frazer, station officer at Blackburn, said: "Mr Blackledge's quick thinking prevented what could have been a far more serious incident."