NEIGHBOURS yesterday spoke of how they tried in vain to save a pensioner from his blazing home.

Residents pulled James Bernard Parks, 76, from his ground floor flat in Cleveland Avenue, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, after spotting smoke pouring from the building at about 6pm on Monday.

Vincent McGrath, 64, who lives next door, joined two other men trying to break into the flat. He forced his way into the burning building to drag his neighbour out.

He found Mr Parks, unconscious, lying behind the front door.

The pensioner, who lived alone, was taken by ambulance to the University Hospital of North Durham, but was declared dead soon after his arrival.

Mr McGrath, who works for Safeway, at Team Valley, Gateshead, said: "I heard the neighbours knocking on his door and went out to see what was the matter.

"The smoke was pouring out. The lads were banging on the door, but there was no reply. We took it in turns to try to get in, but the smoke kept beating us back.

"I wrapped a towel around my face and broke the door in. After one blow, it opened a bit but seemed to be stuck.

"All this thick, black smoke came out - we couldn't see anything. I put my hand in and realised that he was right behind the door.

"We all tried to move him but his leg was twisted and the smoke pushed us back. Eventually, I moved his leg around, got the door open and dragged him out. The other lads helped me to get him away, but we thought he was dead straight away."

Mr McGrath came through the ordeal uninjured.

"You don't think about the danger at the time," he said. "As bad as the smoke and the heat was, all I could think was that it would be a lot worse for him on the other side of that door. We had to get him out."

Three fire crews - two from Durham and one from High Handenhold, near Chester-le-Street - spent three hours tackling the blaze, which started in the kitchen and left the flat severely damaged.

Police and fire officers were yesterday continuing their inquiries into the fire, but the cause was not believed to be suspicious.

Mr Parks, a widower, who is believed to have three children, had lived alone in Cleveland Avenue for about five years.

A neighbour said: "It is awful to think that he lived to that age, only to go this way. But we all think the lads that tried to rescue him are very brave."