A BRAVE neighbour rushed into a burning house to pull a woman to safety.

Lee Woods spotted smoke coming from the back of the property in Bradshaw Brow as he was parking his car and noticed a figure inside.

The fire broke out on Friday at around 9.30pm after a pan of food was left cooking.

The 46-year-old rushed in and took the shocked woman, thought to be retired, to safety outside.

He said: “I just saw this silhouette and knew somebody was still inside. I just ditched the car and went inside, the door was open.

“The woman seemed to stood near to the fire and there was thick smoke. The door was open and she seemed a bit confused and dazed she asked who I was.

“Her son-in-law was at the front of house trying to get in so I ran round the front so he didn’t go inside thinking that she was still inside the house.”

Mr Woods, who owns Bradshaw Home Improvements, ran to the back of the house to make sure she hadn’t gone back in the house.

He said: “I held my breath as I went inside the house.”

Mr Woods gave the woman his coat to keep her warm as she sat in a car.

The father-of-three, said: “I think anybody would have done it, I was just in the right place at the time.”

His proud family say that he is always helping neighbours in the street with little jobs they need doing.

Mother-in-law Pat Chadwick, aged 63, who lives in Crompton Way, said: “Lee will put himself out for anyone. If anyone wants a job doing he will do it.

“What he did was just brilliant, it doesn’t surprise me at all.”

Firefighters said that smoke alarms in the property activated.

The cooker and units in the kitchen were damaged with the terraced house suffering smoke damage.

Smoke also seeped in to a neighbouring property.

Neighbour, Dennis Rylance, aged 60, said: “I was in the house and smoke started coming in so we had a look outside and could see there was smoke coming from her house. Her cooker was on fire so I called the fire brigade and they were here in less than five minutes.

“I didn’t have working smoke alarms and the fire brigade have since fitted two for me.”

This latest fire came as Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service chiefs released figures showing that in Greater Manchester between 2014/15 and 2016/17, 67 per cent of all accidental house fires started in the kitchen.

For a free home fire safety assessment ring 0800 555 815.