THE training of an ex-Army commander kicked back in when he spotted flames shooting six-feet into the air on patrols.

Julian McBride was conducting his rounds in Darlington on Sunday evening as part of his private security job when he saw a large fire taking hold of bushes next to residential properties.

With few people in the vicinity and the flames spreading quickly, he knew he had to act and knocked on doors in the area until he found a woman who lent him a hosepipe.

After alerting the fire brigade, Mr McBride managed to tackle the blaze before crews arrived on the scene.

He credited his quick-thinking actions to his Army training and said the incident reminded him of his time spent battling flames after being dispatched to step in for firefighters during strikes.

Former tank commander Mr McBride, who now works alongside other former military personnel at Darlington-based Sparta Security, said: “My Army training kicked in – I just took control of the situation, made a decision and stuck to it.

“The only person around was a dog walker who had no phone on him to contact the fire brigade.

“I phoned them but the fire was getting worse and worse so I went from door to door until someone gave me a hosepipe and I managed to put it out before they got there.

“It brought back memories of using Green Goddesses to fight fires when the strikes were on.

“I think it was probably started by kids or someone flicking a cigarette out of a window but it was spreading quickly and there were houses ten metres away, it was about two metres from cars parked on a drive.

“It took me about ten minutes to put out and people from the houses came out to watch. The woman who lived closest shook my hand after – she’d been worried that it was going to reach her property.”

The 36-year-old added: “I’m now looking for a pay rise and a week off work as thanks from the boss.”

A spokeswoman for the County Durham and Darlington Fire Rescue Service said they had been called to the fire at 7.57pm and arrived at 8.06, “by which time a member of the public had extinguished the fire”.

Darlington duty officer Mal Woodward added: “Although we admire this man’s community spirit in tackling this fire, we would always advise awaiting the assistance of the fire and rescue service to avoid putting yourself in danger.

“Our firefighters go through intensive training and carry specific equipment to tackle differing types of fire, as even small fires may have hidden dangers. We would always encourage, on discovery of a fire, to call 999.”