PARAMEDICS treated an unconscious man on his lawn after he was rescued from a house fire in Deane.

The man, named locally as Nagin Patel, was pulled out of the semi-detached house by firefighters, who found him unconscious on the bathroom floor of the house in Wigan Road just at 2.10pm today.

They gave him oxygen before paramedics treated him outside on the lawn, and he was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital, where staff were put on standby in preparation for his arrival, a North West Ambulance spokesman said.

A neighbour had raised the alarm because he spotted smoke coming from the windows.

About 15 firefighters from Bolton Central and Farnworth were involved in the rescue, along with several police vehicles and four ambulances.

Mr Patel, who is thought to be in his 60s, lives at the house with his wife Lata, who was out at the time of the fire.

Subhas Patel, the man’s brother, said: “I’ve not seen him in six weeks and I just got a call to say this is happening.

“I’m not sure what has gone on at the moment, but it all looks very serious.

“I can’t understand it as he’s normally such a careful guy. I’m hoping he’s okay. It’s not like him to do something like this - he is very cautious.”

A fire service spokesman said the fire was in a back bedroom upstairs. The fire service and police are investigating the cause of the fire.

A police spokesman said they were co-operating with the fire service to see if there were any suspicious circumstances.

A family friend, Hanifa Patel, who lives in a nearby house, said: “He is very nice and they are a lovely couple.

“I have known them for a long time. We are worried about his wife and how she will be coping.

“Both of their boys are lovely too, and one lives in London now. I’m thinking of them.”

Another resident, who asked not to be named, said: “I do hope he is all right, especially as his wife had gone out. It would have been an awful shock for her to come back and find him.”

A fire service spokesman said: “We were called to the scene at about 2.10pm and rescued a man who was treated by paramedics.

“A fire investigation team has come in to help us establish the cause."

Karsten Boyle, Bolton Central fire station watch commander, said: "There was no obvious cause of the fire.

"The fire was in the back bedroom of the house and there was one occupant inside.

"We found an unconscious gentleman on the bathroom floor and we administered oxygen therapy while we waited for an ambulance.

"The gentleman's condition at the time was unconscious and breathing."

Police and firefighters remain at the scene and the cause of the fire is under investigation.