Some people were in there having tea and didn't know about the fire

Mr Saunders, now aged 79, went to investigate after being told by a group of women from Bolton Floral Art Group, who were at the show, that they could smell smoke.

He said: "I gave the alarm. I went to tell the porters that there was a smell of smoke."

By the time Mr Saunders, of Ainslie Road, Bolton, had returned to the hall, smoke was pouring out of the ventilators.

He added: "I saw the chairman of the show go to get all the trophies off the stage. We did lose one cup -- the Preston Cup."

Mr Saunders helped to evacuate the Albert Hall and closed the door behind him, a move which was instrumental in preventing the blaze from spreading throughout the town hall.

He said: "I suddenly realised that people had been using a room that is now the Lancastrian Suite as a cafe.

"Some people were in there having tea and didn't know about the fire. I shouted to them to get out and told them to follow us.

"By that time, the place was filling with smoke. The fire brigade were just arriving as we got out of the building.

"If this fire had started half an hour after it did, the hall would have been filled with people. The mayor was on his way to present the prizes and people would have returned to watch the prize-giving."

Mr Saunders admitted that he had always had "a bad sense of smell" and it was only thanks to the women who alerted him to the smell of smoke that he was able to raise the alarm so promptly.