15171/1GAZETTE & HERALD: A SMOKE alarm saved the life of a blind man in Calne, when fire broke out in his flat on Thursday.

Steven Quiddington, 44, from Abberd Way in Calne, said he was grateful to the fire brigade for their quick response to a fire thought to be caused by a cigarette.

Mr Quiddington said: "Everything happened so quickly. The fact they were so quick minimised the damage that could have been done and I am very thankful for everything they have done and the ambulance service.

"All the services, police, ambulance and fire brigade, they have my absolute gratitude.

"There's no words to describe how you feel and the help and the support afterwards has been immense.

"Where I am residing now they understand the situation and someone being blind and even though they are not used to that they are being very helpful. There's so many people I want to praise and thank."

Mr Quiddington, who suffers from and eye condition that has deprived him of virtually all sight, learned of the fire when his smoke alarm was set off in the early hours of January 13.

Three crews from Calne and Chippenham attended the fire at 2.22am as 17 firefighters put out the flames and evacuated nearby flats.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and using a thermal imaging cameras entered the ground floor and first floor flats and after searching both flats found the fire in an under stairs cupboard of the ground floor property. Nobody was in either flat.

Mr Quiddington was taken to Chippenham Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation as the firefighters put out the fire in 45 minutes.

He said: "I don't really know what happened. To the best of my knowledge there's no electrical equipment where it was.

"As I came out of my bedroom door I bumped into the wall and I did have a cigarette in my hand and I could only presume I knocked the end off it.

"I heard the smoke alarm and I went to investigate the front room and realised there was smoke coming from somewhere.

"Even though I am blind I happen to see light. I noticed a little flame and grabbed the nearest thing, which was a saucepan, and filled it with water and chucked it all over.

"I thought I had done enough and got another saucepan of water and by the time I got back it was literally the most frightening experience I have ever had.

"I couldn't breathe in the hallway so I remember grabbing an oven glove and I wetted it and put it over my mouth and that saved my life."

Mr Quiddington said he is now trying to come to terms with the situation.

"I am still in a whirlwind. At the end of the day it's the personal loss more than anything. The sofa and the carpet don't matter but smaller things like photographs and personal objects, that is worse.

"Life is never going to be the same anyway. I am so jumpy and nervous at bangs or rings and that's because of the fire."

A statement from the fire brigade said: "The occupier of the ground floor flat was woken by the smoke alarm activating within his flat.

"The early warning given to him, allowed the time to exit the property safely.

"Once again this incident highlights the importance of having a working smoke alarm in the property.

"Without one here, the result could have been tragic.

"Fit a smoke alarm, test it once a week and change the battery at least once a year."

Fire Officer Jack Nicholson, who attended the fire, said: "Smoke was issuing from the property when we arrived.

"It was a ground floor flat and there was quite serious damage by the fire or smoke and the upstairs flat sustained some damage.

"Luckily he had a smoke alarm."