AN ELDERLY Gorleston man was forced to flee his bungalow when his television caught fire as he turned it on.Firefighters said Alfred Donatz, 98, could have suffered worse injuries than just smoke inhalation after he fled his Bately Avenue home shortly before fire swept through the lounge.
AN ELDERLY Gorleston man was forced to flee his bungalow when his television caught fire as he turned it on.
Firefighters said Alfred Donatz, 98, could have suffered worse injuries than just smoke inhalation after he fled his Bately Avenue home shortly before fire swept through the lounge.
He was taken to the James Paget University Hospital to receive treatment and has since been moved to The Gables nursing home in Gorleston while his bungalow is repaired. His daughter, Betty Harrell, said he was recovering well.
However, his lounge was gutted and the television left lying on its front with the inside wiring exposed through the burnt plastic at the back.
The glass in the lounge window had also been smashed by the heat while the walls in the lounge and kitchen were stained black. A number of kitchen appliances including the fridge freezer were ruined.
Mrs Harrell said an alert passer-by had called the fire service after seeing the smoke coming out of the bungalow last Thursday. She said: “The firefighters said it was a godsend that he got out when he did.”
Two fire crews from Yarmouth took 30 minutes to put out the blaze, caused by an electrical fault in the television shortly before midday.
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