A HERO neighbour rescued a woman from a first-floor window during a house fire in Heybridge, Maldon, yesterday evening (Monday, 7 September).

Firefighters were called to the blaze in Maple Avenue just after 6.10pm to find the ground floor ablaze and the entire house filled with smoke.

But Scott Pettican, 52, who lives in the neighbouring house, had already got to the distressed lodger, named as 'Chris' and in her fifties – rescuing her by climbing up and guiding her down a ladder.

Scott told Maldon Nub News at the scene: "I was out in my garden when I smelt smoke and I came straight round to the front of the house. I could see Chris upstairs and the whole place was filling up with smoke.

"A neighbour from another house tried to get through the front door to her, but it couldn't be done."

Scott, who works as an engineer with Sky, said: "Of course I've got lots of ladders, so I grabbed one and put it up to the window. Chris was upset but she stayed calm when I got to her with the ladder and carefully stepped out. We couldn't see much because of the smoke."

But Scott denied his actions were heroic.

He added: "I'm used to much greater heights than that. I only did what anyone would have done."

Three fire crews rushed to the scene and when they arrived they found the ground floor of the house well alight. Firefighters wore breathing apparatus to enter the building to tackle the fire.

They managed to extinguish the blaze within an hour, by 7.10pm.

The cause of the fire is not confirmed, but the homeowner said he believed it had been caused by an old lithium battery charger.

He said: "I was out when it happened, so it was a good job Scott was around and able to rescue my lodger.

"The bottom part of the house is wrecked with smoke damage and I have lost a lot of things."

The homeowner was at the scene with friends from Colchester-based property services firm CDA, who worked late into the evening to board up and secure the home.