FIREFIGHTERS rescued an elderly woman from her bungalow after a fire broke out in her kitchen and she could not find her keys to escape.

The 84-year-old called 999 from her home in Bolton Road at 6.36pm and told operators there was a blaze in her kitchen and she was trapped.

Firefighters believe the woman had dropped her keys while throwing a damp cloth over the fire, which had been sparked by a chip pan.

Crews from Bury and Whitefield broke into the bungalow and rescued the woman, and firefighters are now urging residents to make sure they have an escape plan in place.

Whitefield watch manager John Vangeffen said: “This lady was lucky. Everyone should have an escape plan, including knowing where their keys are to be able to quickly leave their home in an emergency. 

“She was very calm and did everything else right.

“She closed the kitchen and lounge doors and calmly phoned 999 and was able to give clear information to the control operator who then directed us to exactly where she was in the property and we were able to quickly rescue her and deal with the fire.”  

The woman suffered smoke inhalation and so was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to Fairfield Hospital for further precautionary tests.

Her kitchen is severely damaged and much of the rest of the bungalow is smoke-logged and will need to be deep cleaned.

Tony Wilson, crew manager at Bury Fire Station, added: “We believe the woman had dropped her front door keys in the kitchen, where the blaze was.

“Our safety advice is for people to keep their keys near to their exit door and to get out – and call us – as soon as the fire takes hold.

“Crews are returning to the lady’s house later today to carry out a fire safety check and install smoke alarms, as she did not have any, to make sure this does not happen again.

“This lady has got away lightly. This could have been a much more serious incident.”

For advice on fire safety go to manchesterfire.gov.uk/fire_safety_advice/home_fire_safety.aspx and for a free home safety check call 0800 555 815.