A Chelmsford man whose home was wrecked by fire last week is convinced his life was saved by a smoke alarm.

Ian Forbes was woken by the alarm at midnight in his rented cottage in Chignal Smealey.

"It was the most terrifying experience of my life. My jumper was alight and my jeans were beginning to burn," said Mr Forbes

"I got a bucket of water and threw it over the fire, but I had not noticed a red glow under the settee. It suddenly erupted in flames and the smoke was choking me in seconds.

"The fire brigade said I was actually on the point of losing consciousness, but I managed to get next door and my neighbour called the fire service. They arrived in five minutes all the way from Chelmsford. It was brilliant.

"I am absolutely convinced that the alarm going off when it did woke me before the fumes killed me.''

Mr Forbes, an arboriculturalist, was taken to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford where he was treated for four hours on a nebuliser to clear toxic fumes from his system.

"If anybody can learn from my experience how important it is to have a working smoke alarm then it will put some point to my terrifying experience," he said.

Mr Forbes is staying in a hotel while he looks for a new home. The cottage, built in the 1950s for farmworkers, will take several months to repair.

Chelmsford's fire chief, station commander Trevor Armstrong, echoed Mr Forbes' warning. He said his crews have dealt with a number of incidents already this year where smoke alarms did not work.

Mr Armstrong, who is in charge of the station in Waterhouse Lane, said many people may have used their alarm batteries to power Christmas toys and then forgotten the alarms are useless.

"We have had seven quite serious fires in Chelmsford since the start of the new year where alarms have not worked or the batteries were missing," he said.

"I cannot stress too strongly the enormous contribution smoke detectors make to saving life from fire provided they are checked regularly and the batteries are in peak condition.

"Luckily nobody was injured in these fires, but the young man in Chignal Smealey would, in my opinion, not have survived but for being woken by his smoke detector."

Call Essex Fire and Rescue on 01245-241200 for advice on alarms.

Chelmsford fire station commander, Trevor Armstrong, with a smoke detector

Ian Forbes.

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