Man was making his tea when he heard neighbours shout 'run'

A man living next door to a home which caught fire and spread to adjoining houses said he “wouldn’t have got out” if it wasn’t for people rushing around and “banging on the windows” and telling him to “run away”.

Firefighters were called to Arundel Avenue near Sefton Park at around 1.20pm on Saturday April 15 following reports a house had caught fire. Neighbours told the ECHO they heard what sounded like a “massive truck crashing” before smoke started to pour from the roof of the two-storey property.

Crews were on the scene in less than ten minutes and rescued one occupant from the burning building who, in a statement released shortly after firefighters began to tackle the blaze, was said to have been led to safety “conscious and breathing". Merseyside Fire and Rescue confirmed yesterday the man was later taken to hospital for treatment for “slight smoke inhalation”.