A man was lucky to escape serious injury when his electric heater caught on fire while he was sleeping.

The man, in his mid 50s, woke to find the bedroom at his Cleckheaton home filled with smoke.

He was treated in hospital after suffering superficial burns to his face.

But firefighters say his injuries could have been far more serious - as he did not have any smoke alarms fitted in his home.

Fire crews from Cleckheaton, Brighouse and Batley spent two hours battling the blaze at Pyenot Hall Lane late on Friday night.

They arrived at 10pm to find a substantial blaze underway upstairs in the terraced house.

The man was already out of the property when they arrived.

Watch commander Gary Hatton, from Cleckheaton Fire Station, said: “The first floor was 100 percent on fire.

“It was quite an intensive fire and it looks like it was caused by a small electric heater in the bedroom which was near to some flammable items.

“The man had been asleep on the bed and woken up because of the smoke.

“The damage was quite extensive and the fire had got into the loft and spread to his hall and the other bedroom.

“It’s unlivable at the moment.”

The man was taken to Dewsbury and District Hospital after suffering from smoke inhalation as well as some burns to his face and singed hair.

Mr Hatton added: “If he hadn’t woken up the fact is we would have been carrying somebody out of the house.

“The fire load in the house was quite high as there were a lot of newspapers and clothing.

“It is vital to fit smoke detectors and test them once a week.”

Firefighters have now fitted these at the house.

Due to the serious nature of the fire, a crew from the station returned to the street at the weekend to offer fire safety advice and fit smoke alarms.