A COUPLE escaped a serious house fire thanks to a smoke alarm today.

Edward Doherty, a 62-year-old painter and decorator, awoke at 6.30am as the smoke alarm went off at his home in Almond Street, Darwen.

Realising the fire was in the kitchen, Mr Doherty alerted his wife Margaret and went round the outside of the house to check the windows. He also made sure not to open the kitchen door.

Mr Doherty said that the smoke alarm had been a potential life-saver. "They are very useful," he said. "We've had them for years and never needed them but the fire would have been a lot worse without them."

The fire is believed to have been started by a faulty electrical appliance, such as a toaster or kettle.

It caused severe damage to the kitchen but the rest of the house was undamaged.

Darwen fire station sub-officer Steve Ryan praised Mr Doherty's actions and said the fire once again demonstrated the value of smoke alarms.

He said: "The smoke alarm woke them up and Mr Doherty then did all the right things.

"He went round to the rear of the house and saw that the windows were cracked. He also felt that the kitchen door was hot and kept it closed.

"Having the smoke alarm and following the correct procedures may have saved his life."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.