A quick-thinking carpenter has been hailed a hero after his quick actions helped save an elderly resident from a house fire caused by a malfunctioning tumble dryer. Josh Walton, 31, was on his way to work early on Thursday morning, May 16, when he encountered a distressing scene in Whitsoncross Lane, in Plymouth.

He spotted smoke pouring out of a property and heard a woman frantically calling to a man trapped inside. Without hesitation, Josh attempted to enter the smoke-filled house to reach the man upstairs but was driven back by the intensity of the smoke.

Thinking on his feet, he asked a neighbour for a ladder and managed to cut open a window on the upper floor, providing the trapped man with much-needed air, reports PlymouthLive.

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Firefighters from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue arrived on the scene shortly after. They praised Josh's brave efforts, stating that his intervention "saved the man's life" and expedited their ability to ventilate the building.

Recounting the incident, Josh said: "I was heading to work at around 6.30am, and I saw a woman in the street on Whitsoncross Lane shouting up to one Arthur, 90 years old, who had broken a little bit of glass to try to breathe.

"I jumped out the van, booted the door in to try to get up to him, but the smoke was far too thick and I couldn't see my way to the stairs. I then got a neighbour to find a ladder, and got up to the window he was at. I broke more of the glass so that he could get air, I then ran to my van to get a recip saw and battery, and cut the window open to try and get him.

"He was talking as I was cutting the window, but he then passed out just as the firemen arrived. They rushed in to the upstairs room where he was, and brought him out. The firemen said what I did saved the man's life, and helped them get in faster to clear the smoke. I'd just like more people to get their fire alarms checked, as the smoke was overwhelming when I got there."

Fire crews confirmed this morning that they had rushed to the scene at around 6.25am and used breathing apparatus, hose reel jets, thermal imaging cameras, and a safety jet to extinguish the flames. The fire service confirmed that one person was rescued from the property before being taken to hospital.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called to Whitsoncross Lane in Tamerton Foliot, near Plymouth at 6.25am today, where a fire had started in a tumble dryer on the ground floor of a domestic property causing a large amount of smoke.

"Three crews from Camels Head and Crownhill fire stations used breathing apparatus, two hose reel jets, thermal imaging cameras and a safety jet to extinguish the fire. One occupant was rescued from the property by crews and has been taken to hospital by ambulance. A positive pressure ventilation fan was then used to help clear the property of smoke."

And following the incident, a post was shared on the Tamerton Foliot Community Facebook page, seemingly written by one of the fire crews that had attended the scene.

The message stated: "As a follow-up from this morning's incident, great effort by Josh for his quick thinking in cutting away the window. I was first in with my partner and this allowed a lot of the smoke to ventilate from the property, and allow for a quicker search and rescue in finding [the man] and getting him out of the property. His actions likely saved the man's life."

From a safety perspective, it warned: "On a home safety aspect, the property involved didn't have a working smoke alarm, so can everyone who sees this post please ensure they have smoke alarms in place, that they are in working order and tested regularly."

It also called for community consciousness: "Please check on vulnerable neighbours and family members. Below is a link to the home fire safety page on the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue site."

A statement from the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service website reads: "A working smoke alarm will greatly reduce the risk of injury or death due to fire. Between 2013 and 2017 two thirds of fire deaths in the South West happened where there was not a working smoke alarm."

It further stressed the importance of such devices: "A smoke alarm is the easiest way to alert you to the first signs of a fire, giving you precious time to escape. They are cheap, easy to get hold of and easy to fit."

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