Woman rescued from burning house (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Woman rescued from burning Middlesbrough house

6:15pm Thursday 21st March 2013 in News By Joanna Morris

A RETIRED burns nurse was rescued from her blazing house yesterday (Wednesday, March 20) by her neighbour, an emergency care practitioner.

Pauline Ashurst was injured when a hairspray can exploded, causing a blaze at her home in Lavan Sands, Middlesbrough.

She suffered leg burns in the incident, thought to have been caused when the heat from the hairdryer caused the can to burst.

Emergency care practitioner Graham Hunter, 53, battled the blaze to help his neighbour.

He said: "Pauline's husband Dave came running out of his house in his dressing gown. He asked me to call the fire brigade as his house was on fire. 

"My son called the fire brigade and I went into the house to get Pauline out. There was a lot of smoke. I got to her and brought her outside…She was very upset and in shock but thankfully she was OK.”

Mrs Ashurst was taken to the James Cook University Hospital and was released later in the day.

The first floor bedroom of her property was left fire damaged and the rest of the house was severely smoke damaged.