A 93-YEAR-OLD woman was rescued from her blazing kitchen in Leeds thanks to the vigilance of her student neighbours.
The students occupy a Victorian terrace house in Cliffe Mount at Woodhouse, near Leeds University.
They smelled burning around 6.40pm yesterday and checked their own house, then went outside to check neighbouring houses.
They found flames com
ing through the ground floor window of the house next door and rang the fire service.
Crews from Leeds central fire station in Kirkstall Road turned out.
Watch manager Mick Wood said: "We went to the back of the house and looked through the window and saw the occupant, an elderly lady, staggering around the kitchen which was on fire. She was in a confused state.
"A crew with breathing apparatus went in through the window as we tried to break the door down. They took her to a safe room and we got in through the door to deal with the fire.
"The lady had to be carried out. We gave her first aid. She had burns to her hands and forehead and suffered smoke inhalation. She had a heart problem as well. We gave her first aid until the ambulance arrived. She was taken to Leeds General Infirmary."
He said the fire had triggered a smoke alarm in the house but the pensioner had not reacted to it because of her confused state.
"Had it not been for the students she could have been in a much worse state," said Mr Wood.
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