A FLINTSHIRE man has described the moment he helped an elderly man escape a house fire. 

The incident occurred at a property on Seathwaite Way in Connah's Quay last week.

Two crews were called to the blaze on Tuesday (January 16), which was caused by a charging unit and caused severe damage to the bedroom.

Thankfully the elderly resident escaped unhurt after local man Joe Turner helped him out of the property.

He came across the fire while driving home from work, seeing thick black smoke billowing from the upstairs of the house. 

Joe, a 28-year-old electrician, said: "After finding the door was locked I proceeded to knock and shout through the window. There were no lights on and I thought nobody must be in.

"After around 30 seconds the door opened with an old man standing in the doorway with smoke all around him looking rather confused. I managed to grab him and get him out of the house and asked if there was anyone else inside. He said there wasn't but I went inside and shouted through the house in case there was anyone else inside.

"By this time the house was dark and full of smoke so I closed all the doors behind me and went back outside to call for the fire brigade."

When he returned outside there were other members of the public outside the house helping to attend to the man and the fire service arrived a short time later. 

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Joe added: "I'm just glad I arrived when I did. There fire was upstairs but there was so much smoke and you just don't know how long he would have lasted in there - especially if he was asleep as he wasn't aware of the fire.

"The flames upstairs were getting quite high, so it could have been so much worse."

Following the incident, a North Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We’re appealing to everyone to ensure they have working smoke detectors on every level of their homes - and to test them regularly."

They are urging people to follow the below advice about using items with chargers:

• Always keep an eye on devices when charging

• Always use the charger that came with your device

• If you need to buy a replacement, always choose a branded, genuine product from a supplier you can trust

• Avoid storing, using or charging batteries at very high or low temperatures

• Protect batteries against being damaged – that's crushed, punctured or immersed in water

• Don’t leave items continuously on charge after the charge cycle is complete –don’t leave your phone plugged in overnight

• Never cover chargers or charging devices

• Don't overload your sockets