FIREFIGHTER Jay Roxburgh saved the day when he tackled a fire in his neighbour’s kitchen – using a garden hose.

Jay was at home with his partner Lisa Smith on Sunday evening when a neighbour banged on his patio doors to alert him to a fire next door.

Jay, from Kestrel Avenue, Knutsford, raced round to his neighbour’s house to find the kitchen was on fire.

In bare feet, wearing only a T-shirt and shorts, Jay used a garden hose to spray water through the kitchen door from outside the house around the fire to suppress it while awaiting the arrival of fire crews.

Due to Jay’s efforts the fire had gone out by the time firefighters arrived at the house, and Jay’s partner contacted the Guardian to praise him for the ‘brilliant’ way he dealt with the incident.

Jay, 50, is a Watch Manager at Lymm Fire Station, and had taken Sunday off to attend a friend’s 50th birthday meal.

After returning home he and Lisa were watching TV at about 9.20pm when a neighbour ran around to tell Jay about the fire next door.

Knutsford Guardian:

The fire-damaged kitchen

Jay said: “I ran round and could see a fire in the kitchen. The cooker and hood were on fire, flames were licking across the ceiling and thick black smoke was coming out of the window.

“I crouched down outside, opened the kitchen door and turned on a garden hose to suppress areas around the fire.

READ> Family to take on charity Snowdon challenge

“By the time the crews arrived the house was heavily smoke-logged, but the fire was out.”

Jay stressed that he chose to tackle the fire only because of his many years of training and experience as a firefighter, and directed the water into the house from outside the property.

He said in the event of a fire the public should shut all internal doors, get out of the property and not go back in.

Lisa said: “Jay is brilliant, and was so calm and relaxed when he was dealing with the fire.

“I am so proud of him for putting the fire out, because it could have been a lot worse.”

She also praised the fire and ambulance crews who attended, saying: “We are very lucky to have such amazing men and women who work and serve the public.”

Knutsford Guardian:

Jay Roxburgh

A Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said the fire had been caused by cooking food having been left unattended, and one of Jay’s neighbours had been given oxygen because of the effects of inhaling smoke.

Jay stressed the importance of having a working smoke alarm, the consequences of leaving a cooker unattended and the importance of shutting internal doors.

He added that Knutsford Fire Station was recruiting on-call firefighters. For cooking safety tips click here