An alert passer-by heroically saved an elderly woman when he put out a potentially lethal fire in her home.

Disaster was averted when Paul Kerr noticed smoke billowing from a kitchen window as he walked along Brigg Gardens, Braithwaite, on Tuesday evening. He dashed into the house of Barbara Kelly and went straight to the kitchen where a chip pan was on fire.

Mr Kerr put out the fire by turning off the heat on the cooker and placing a damp towel over the pan. He then led Mrs Kelly from the smoke-logged house and called the emergency services.

Firefighting appliances and an ambulance were quickly on the scene and Mrs Kelly was provided with oxygen by paramedics to counter the effects of smoke inhalation.

Station Officer Mick Smith praised Mr Kerr for keeping a level head. He said: "Mr Kerr put the chip pan out correctly by turning the heat off and putting a damp cloth over the pan."

Keighley CID are investigating a serious house fire which they believe was started deliberately. They are treating the fire - at 22 Paget Street off West Lane, Keighley - on Monday night as arson.

Two appliances from Keighley fire station were called to the house at 8.19pm, after smoke was seen billowing from the kitchen window. On arrival, firefighters discovered smoke coming out of the ground floor of the house. Although the fire was confined mainly to the kitchen, where it is believed to have started, the rest of the house was smoke-damaged. Insp Mick Hopwood, of Keighley police, says: "We believe the fire was ignited maliciously."

and are making active enquiries to pursue a suspect."

Firefighters in Keighley say they are still being called out on false alarms by motorists who mistake a methane burner for a raging fire at the Sugden End tip at Cross Roads. As each 999 call must be treated as an emergency, firefighters have to attend the scene, even when they are confident it is a false alarm. The burner is part of a combustion chamber designed to burn off methane gas produced by the breakdown of waste products at the tip.

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If the methane is of a sufficient quality it could be used to generate one megawatt of power, providing enough electricity for 2000 homes.

The project is the result of a partnership between Bradford council and London-based Energy Developments Ltd (EDL).

Bradford council's technical manager Colin Hill says that EDL is planning to make the flame less visible by altering the way it burns and putting a screen around the burner.

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