RETIRED firefighter Dave "Chalky" White is the hero of[..]; Disabled man rescued after fat fryer sparked blaze

RETIRED firefighter Dave "Chalky" White is the hero of his neighbourhood after dragging a disabled man from his smoke-filled home.

While Mrs Brown was able to leave the house safely, her husband was left inside.The blaze had been caused by a deep fat fryer at the home of Doris and Alan Brown, a couple in their eighties.LOCAL HERO Retired firefighter Daid White, who saved a neighbour from a house fireCAPTION(S):Dave, a 54-year-old father-oftwo married to Christine, who had been a firefighter for 34 years before retiring two years ago, said: "I asked my neighbour whether he had called the fire brigade and he hadn't, so I took my cordless phone with me and rang the emergency services while I dashed across the road.Mr Brown was taken to hospital suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation following Thursday's blaze. He and his wife are staying with friends while the damage to their home is being assessed.He added: "It was one of those unavoidable accidents where no one has done anything wrong. The occupiers have followed our advice in having a deep fat fryer rather than a chip pan, but it appears there was some sort of fault with it that has caused the fire.""As I got to the Brown's front door, I saw Doris was outside, but then I heard a thump from inside the house.Dave, who spent the last two years of his fire service giving talks on safety, added: "I cannot stress highly enough the importance of smoke alarms. Mr and Mrs Brown had one which meant she was able to get out safely. Her husband would have got out unaided too, had he not been disabled, but at least we were alerted in time to go in and drag him out."Durham Fire and Rescue Brigade Station Manager Steve Wharton said: "Both of the occupiers have been exceptionally fortunate in that they had working smoke alarms, and in having Dave for a neighbour.""I thought Alan might have fallen down the stairs, but Doris told me he was in the living room.Dave acted quickly when a frantic neighbour pounded on his door in West Drive, Lanchester, County Durham, telling him the house across the street was on fire.

LOCAL HERO Retired firefighter Daid White, who saved a neighbour from a house fire