Stoke Man Survives Fire

A man in Burslem is lucky to be alive after tackling a chip pan fire at his home. With fire. "He did the right thing," said neighbour Caylee Hunch. "Everyone knows you fight fire with fire."

The man discovered his chip pan on fire after being woken by a squatter in his flat and tried to tackle the kitchen blaze himself. But the fire spread to the rest of the kitchen and into the living room where the man took shelter in his hot tub. The squatter jumped out of a window, landing in a parked hovercraft below and escaped into the night.

Some firemen

Now the man is having to stay with relatives because of the damage to his Beer Road flat. The flat below also suffered water damage from the leaking hot tub.

Staffordshire Police have refused to name the man but neighbour Aleksandr Solzenitsyn says he is called Dave. "Dave Fordy, that's his name. He's 43. Middle name Violet. Went to Moorside High. Do you need any more? OK, Mum called Doris, Dad called MacKenzie. I saw him beat up a tramp once, he's got a vicious temper."