Fire alarm system saves war hero Wilf, 97, from his smoke-filled home

A 97-year-old Walkeringham man has been singing the praises of an alarm system that saved his bacon after he was rescued from his smoke-logged home.

Second World War veteran Wilf Hewitt, of Station Road, was woken by his fire alarm after the pan he was cooking tea with started billowing smoke.

The alarm was linked to an operator, who contacted Mr Hewitt's son, who in turn told the fire service.

This week, Mr Hewitt spoke to the Retford Times about the dramatic incident.

"I put three rashers of bacon on a dripping tray and switched the hob on to low – or so I thought," said Mr Hewitt.

"I came back into the living room, started reading the Telegraph and dropped to sleep.

"The next thing I knew I woke up and it was a bit foggy, the fire alarm was making a hell of a racket and then I knew what I had done – I had put the grill on high by mistake."

Mr Hewitt wrapped a wet cloth around the smoking pan and threw it out of the back door.

He said: "I suffer with my heart and I must have fallen down after that because I can remember feeling dizzy. Then three men from the fire service came in with medics and they took over.

Mr Hewitt was treated outside his home but initially refused to go to hospital.

He said: "I couldn't apologise enough for all the trouble and commotion I had caused."

A neighbour persuaded Mr Hewitt to go with the ambulance crew and stayed with him as he underwent tests at the hospital.

He was eventually given the all-clear and allowed home.

Mr Hewitt, who served in Singapore, Iraq and Kuwait during the Second World War with the Royal Engineers, put the quick response of the emergency services down to his Telecare alarm system.

Mr Hewitt's alarm, provided by A1 Housing, is linked to an operator who then contacts next of kin or the emergency services, wherever appropriate.

"It is a god send," Mr Hewitt said. "If it hadn't been for them the whole place could have gone up."

Watch Manager Andy Horton, of Misterton fire service, said the situation could have been worse.

"This proves once again how important smoke alarms are. Luckily, this was a small pan and a small amount of fat but if it was a chip pan we would have been dealing with a serious fire," he said.