An elderly York man was recovering in hospital today after waking up in the night to find his pyjamas on fire. Ex-army officer Ronald Burgess leapt out of his blazing bed and ran into the bathroom at his flat in Coxwold House, Lowther Street, The Groves.

When fire crews arrived, they rescued the 75-year-old from the bath, where he had managed to extinguish his pyjama bottoms and socks.

The blaze took hold at dawn yesterday and fire investigators believe it was caused by a combination of a faulty electric blanket and smoker's materials.

Mr Burgess's bed was destroyed and parts of his bedroom damaged by the fire, as was the bath. The whole flat, on the ground floor of the council block, was badly affected by smoke.

Pensioner Helen Birnie, who lives upstairs, said: "I woke up because of the fire engines and when I opened my front door, smoke billowed in."

Mr Burgess was taken to York District Hospital and later transferred to Hull and East Riding Hospital in Hull, where he was kept in after treatment for smoke poisoning.

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