ONE man died and another leapt to safety from a bedroom window after a house caught fire in the early hours of today.

Firefighters found the badly-burned body of 26-year-old Carl Manning in the kitchen of the house in Water Street, Great Harwood, at around 3.30 am.

Mr Manning, a lodger at the terraced house, was pronounced dead at the scene.

He is understood to have fallen asleep after putting a chip pan on the cooker.

Mr Peter Berry, the occupier, leapt to safety from a first-floor bedroom when he woke up to find the house full of smoke.

He alerted the fire brigade and told them Mr Manning was still inside the blazing building. Fire crews from Great Harwood had to contend with fierce flames before they could get into the kitchen.

"The kitchen was well alight and the house was totally smoke-logged," said Great Harwood sub officer James McKay.

"It took ten to 15 minutes to bring the fire under control."

He added: "We believe the man who died had gone out on Friday night and had put the chip pan on and then fallen asleep."

One neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said residents were shocked by the tragedy.

"I just heard all the commotion and got up and saw flames shooting out of the back of the house," he said.

The neighbour added that he had known Mr Berry for several years but thought Mr Manning had only been living there for a few weeks.

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