COUNCIL chiefs are investigating claims that lives had been put at risk by smoke alarms which failed to go off as an 84-year-old pensioner tackled a blaze in his sheltered housing flat.

The probe was launched as John Freza, husband of the warden, said there had been a lack of maintenance on fire alarm equipment at Hyndburn Council-run Eachill Gardens, Rishton.

Mr Freza, who helped rescue Harry Stones, said no alarm had gone off in the building despite the flat being full of acrid smoke, which also spread into the corridor.

Fellow resident, Stephen Brierley, 83, smelled smoke while waiting in the main entrance.

Hyndburn Council said smoke detectors in the flat and on the corridor outside were both in working order when tested the following day at the sheltered complex, where the whole fire alarm system is due for renewal during this financial year.

Mr Stones, who had dropped a cigarette down an armchair, thought he could deal with it himself, but he was pulled out by Mr Freza and his wife, Sandra, when he fell over suffering from the effects of smoke.

Mr Freza said neither a smoke detector inside the flat nor the one outside in the corridor had gone off. They are linked to the alarm system for the rest of the building and also to the council's Dowry Street control centre.

Mr Stones' additional, individual smoke alarm, supplied by the council, had not gone off because the battery was flat. Mr Freza claimed there had been no maintenance of the alarm equipment for several years until about two months ago when an electrician had tested around a quarter of the smoke detectors and heat sensors.

Hyndburn Council housing manager, Rona Courtney, said a contractor was investigating why alarms did not go off and they were awaiting his report.

Building section head, Jeff Evans, said the smoke detector in the flat bedroom and the one in the corridor were both working when tested yesterday , but a check was being carried out on the whole system as a precautionary measure.

He added: "If smoke alarms have not gone off and then activate when tested, it would indicate there was not enough smoke to reach them.

"I'm led to believe the bedroom door was closed, and there is a seal around the front door of the flat."

Miss Courtney added: "The council is aware that old-fashioned equipment takes more servicing and can be less reliable and we have plans in this year's budget to renew fire alarm systems at three schemes, including Eachill Gardens."

She said the council liked to maintain a high standard of safety at its sheltered schemes, which were regularly inspected by the fire brigade.

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