A PENSIONER had a lucky escape after an explosion in his garage.
The 83-year-old, who lives on Thornhills Lane in Clifton, Brighouse, suffered minor burns but escaped serious injury in the incident on Friday evening.
The explosion is believed to have happened after gas from a split liquefied petroleum gas pipe in his Hyundai car was ignited by a boiler.
Brighouse and Cleckheaton firefighters dealt with the incident.
Crew Manager Alex MacFarlane said: "He was in the property at the time and tried to deal with it himself using a small water extinguisher.
"The garage is an integral one and the door had been blown off its hinges. Some internal glass doors had also been smashed.
"There was a lot of smoke damage to the inside of the property.
"The man was fortunate he was at home at the time. He was brave in trying to deal with the fire himself, but we would advise people in similar circumstances to get out of their properties and contact the fire service."
* A discarded cigarette caused a bathroom blaze in Brighouse.
It set fire to a towel at about 6.10am on Saturday.
Fire crews from Brighouse and Elland went to the house on Edward Street, Waring Green.
A 45-year-old woman in the house was unhurt.
But the bathroom and the upstairs of the property were badly smoke-damaged.
Crew Manager MacFarlane said: "She was very fortunate she was awake at the time."
He added that said the house did not have any working smoke detectors.
He urged people to call the fire service's free smoke detector helpline, 0800 5875436.
