A MAN who had fallen asleep in a chair was rescued from a flat blaze last night after food in his oven caught fire.

A neighbour smelt smoke and called the fire brigade in the incident in Christchurch Court, Banbury, at about 9.50pm.

Crew manager John Callaway said: “I cannot emphasise enough the importance of having a working smoke alarm.

“If it had not been for the neighbour noticing the smoke the outcome could have been very different.”

The resident was treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation and firefighters fitted a smoke alarm in his house.