Firefighters rescued a terrified man from his blazing home as he clung to a widow ledge.

Neighbours heard him screaming for help as he sat on the first-floor sill of his end-terrace home, dressed in just a towel.

The man was tonight being treated in Airedale General Hospital at Steeton, suffering from smoke inhalation.

People who rushed from their homes in Chelsea Street, Keighley, watched frantically as the man flung open the window and climbed out yelling for help.

His next-door neighbour dashed into the cellar to fetch a ladder, but by the time he retrieved it, firefighters were on the scene shortly after 12.40am today.

A woman neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: “I saw him on the window ledge – he was there calling for help. I thought he was going to fall.

“When the fire brigade came, they shouted ‘stay where you are, stay where you are’ and then they put a ladder up and brought him down.”

The man is believed to be in his 50s and is a grandfather. His daughter has just had her second baby.

“He is a lovely man, very friendly to my children. I hope he is all right,” the neighbour added.

Firefighters from Keighley and Bingley tackled the blaze, the epicentre of which was mainly the staircase and the first floor of the property. Four breathing apparatus sets were used.

A fire service spokesman said the alarm was raised by the occupant of the house.

The whole premises was heavily smoke-logged and a fan was brought in to help clear the fumes.

The cause of the fire is under investigation but it is not being treated as suspicious. Smoke detectors were fitted in the house but were not working.

For free smoke alarm installation phone the fire service on 0800 5874536.