A DARWEN man with a broken arm and leg was rescued by neighbours after a chip pan blaze devastated his home.

The 31-year-old man was helped to safety by neighbours before firefighters arrived after falling asleep before his chips cooked, in Stopes Brow, Darwen, at 12.40am on Sunday.

The man woke up to find his kitchen on fire and struggled to escape because of his injuries. But neighbours spotted the flames and rushed in to free him.

He was taken to Blackburn Infirmary suffering smoke inhalation.

The mid-terrace house was gutted by the fire with the kitchen and bathroom were most badly affected with severe fire and heat damage.

The living room and bedroom suffered moderate damage and the whole ground floor was engulfed by smoke.

Firefighters doused the flames and tried to salvage what they could of the charred property.

The fire was put out before it spread to adjoining properties.

Darwen firefighter Ed Hargreaves urged residents to stop using chip pans, especially late at night.

He said: "The man did not have a smoke alarm and we cannot stress enough the importance of having a working smoke alarm in your home to give early warning.

"We also discourage using chip pans, especially if the person is in danger of falling asleep."