A HERO caretaker has been praised for rescuing a vulnerable man from his house after a pie almost caught fire.

Barry Scott, 64, a community caretaker for Great Places Housing Association at Bowland House in Blackburn, rescued an elderly tenant when a pie he was cooking in his microwave started billowing with smoke, activating the alarms.

The man tried to make his way outside but ended up stuck inside, inhaling smoke, until Mr Scott was able to make his way in and lead him to safety.

The building was quickly evacuated and the man was seen by paramedics before being allowed to return to his flat.

Mr Scott said: “The man had put a cheese and onion pie into the microwave to cook. He thought he had put it in for 10 minutes, but it must have been a lot longer as it ended up as a charcoaled lump.

“He might have nodded off but when he went back into the kitchen, the microwave was smoking and when he opened its door, the smoke billowed out.

“When I arrived, his flat door was ajar so it looks like he might have tried to get out. But when I went in, he was stood at the back of the kitchen and struggling to breathe.

“You could barely see past the end of your nose and the smoke made it extremely difficult to breathe but I was able to get to him and lead him outside to safety.

“It was very chilly so I went back in to get him his hat, coat and slippers to make sure we kept him warm until the paramedics arrived. They gave him some oxygen but he was ok and was allowed to return home.

“I didn’t really think how bad it could have ended up at the time, I just wanted to get him out. But the situation could have been so much worse. Thankfully all is well.”

Matt Harrison, Great Places’ chief executive, praised Mr Scott for his bravery and quick-thinking.

Mr Harrison added: “Barry showed true courage in helping this tenant, as he really didn’t know what he was walking into.

“He put the wellbeing of this vulnerable man before his own and it’s fair to say that he saved his life. At Great Places we talk about putting the customer at the heart of everything we do and Barry’s actions are the epitome of that.

“The fire procedures all worked as they should and thankfully, nobody was harmed and we were able to help the man ventilate and clean his flat so he could return safely.

“Barry is a hero and we’d like to thank him for his bravery and efforts.”