FIREFIGHTERS have issued a warning after two blazes almost ended in tragedy.

In one case, a man could not find the keys to his door and was found perched on the ledge of an upstairs window when emergency crews arrived at his home.

And a family had a lucky escape from their blazing home when their smoke alarm failed to go off because the battery had been removed.

Fire chief Steve Waggott said: "The message just isn't getting through to people."

Station Officer Waggott, of Cleveland Fire Brigade, said a chip pan caused the first blaze, in Archibald Street, Middlesbrough, at 1.35am on Saturday.

The householder, a man in his thirties, was found on the canopy of the bay window as smoke billowed out of his home.

Because the door was locked, he was unable to get out of the terraced house, which sustained extensive damage to the kitchen and smoke damage to the remainder of the property.

The man was led down a ladder to safety and taken by ambulance to hospital, suffering from smoke inhalation.

Station Officer Waggott said: "The man got himself out of his bedroom window onto the canopy of the groundfloor window as he couldn't find his keys.

"He didn't have any smoke detectors, which we have now fitted.

"There is a campaign at the moment to encourage people to always know where their keys are in case they need to get out of their homes."

A mother and her two children escaped from their blazing home in Diamond Road, Middlesbrough, on Saturday afternoon.

The cause of the fire, which caused severe fire damage to a bedroom and smoke damage to the rest of the property, is still being investigated.

Station Officer Waggott said: "It was by sheer good luck that the family managed to get themselves out of their home.

"When we looked in the smoke alarm, we saw that the batteries had been removed.

"The message just isn't getting out to people about how important it is that smoke alarms should be in good working order."

Anyone wishing the brigade to fit smoke alarms is asked to ring 0845 1202444.