A CIGARETTE caused a massive blaze which has left a man in hospital with “serious burns”.

Firefighters were called to Bromwich Street in The Haulgh just after 10.30pm on Saturday as the blaze swept through the ground floor bedsit.

Crews gave the man emergency first-aid for burns to his head, hands, legs and back.

The man had stayed in the building to make sure his neighbours had escaped and smashed his way into his neighbours’ home to check there was no one trapped inside.

Residents had fled the building when the alarms sounded and were uninjured but the man is being treated in the specialist burns unit at Wythenshawe Hospital.

Watch commander Kirk Cornwall said: “The burns were serious enough for the man to be taken straight to Wythenshawe, where he has been admitted.

“The fire trauma technicians did administer oxygen. The fire was well developed in a ground floor bedsit. It took 20 minutes to bring it under control, and it gutted the bedsit.”

Thirteen firefighters were called to the incident.

Crews were on the scene until 1am as investigations into the cause got under way and the electricity and gas supply was isolated.

Mr Cornwall said the cause of the blaze was probably down to carelessly discarded cigarette.

He warned people always to get out of a burning building and call the emergency services.

Mr Cornwall said: “This gentleman thought he was doing the right thing, but he put himself in danger.

“The alarms were sounding and the other occupants had got out of the building.

“We would say always in a fire to get out and call us out.”

Residents living on the street said they saw fire engines in the street but did not know who was living there.

Firefighters said they would return to the area to speak to residents on the street and carry out home fire risk assessments.