A PARAMEDIC today praised firefighters who saved his life after he was trapped in a blazing flat.

James Ryan spoke about his dramatic rescue after a routine call out turned into a life-threatening situation in just seconds.

The Weymouth paramedic was called to a first floor flat on Dorchester Road, near Lodmoor, Weymouth, to treat a male patient.

The casualty, who he was treating using an oxygen cylinder, lit a cigarette which sparked a fire that instantly engulfed the room and blocked James’ escape route.

“The fire started and instantly I shouted at my crew mate to get the patient and the other three people out of the room,” he said.

“The bed had gone up in flames and I didn’t know if the oxygen was going to explode or shoot across the room.

“I was not in a position to get through or past the fire so the only thing I could do at the time was to retreat into an en-suite bathroom.”

James, 29, said he took immediate action to try and stop the bellowing smoke from coming into the bathroom by blocking the gaps in the door with clothing.

He said it all happened so quickly that his only thought was ‘to preserve my life’ and alert neighbours that a fire had started.

He managed to climb up onto the toilet and shout out of small window to members of the public and his crewmate – who successfully evacuated nearby residents to safety.

“By that point the fire alarms were going off and I was shouting out the window that I was trapped and I remember someone shouted that the fire service were on their way,” he said.

“Then the power cut out and it all went pitch black – luckily I had a torch on me but when I switched it on I saw the room had completely filled with smoke that was so thick that I couldn’t even see the walls.”

James loosened his shirt and covered his mouth and said he was beginning to choke on the smoke.

As the fire blazed next door James said he could feel the heat coming through the door and could hear the fire blazing.

He recalled that his chest was tight, he could feel burning on the inside of his mouth and his eyes were streaming.

“I just knew I had to get out – at that point I was fearing for my life,” he added.

Meanwhile a colleague outside tried to enter the building to rescue James but was unable to get through the thick blanket of smoke.

After attempting once more to leave and being hit by a wall of smoke James crawled low down on the floor and stayed there until he could hear firefighters shouting for him.

He called out his name and banged the door and managed to crawl towards the fire-fighters voices before he was rescued from the flat.

After gasping his first breath of fresh air James collapsed in an ambulance and was giving oxygen therapy by his colleagues to help with his smoke inhalation.

Weymouth firefighter Tony Thorp said the paramedic’s actions were a guide to good practice for the situation he was in.

He said: “It’s a good thing he is OK – he was trapped by fire and somehow got into a room where he was able to get to an open window and close the door behind him.

“It was a serious fire we believe caused by a patient lighting a cigarette whilst having oxygen therapy treatment.

“The oxygen had increased the flammability of the mattress and when he lit his cigarette the mattress quickly became engulfed in flames.

“It was a fairly small room so the atmosphere was in an enriched state.

“The alarms were working which alerted all the other residents for a safe evacuation so it was a case of rescuing the paramedic – we are certainly glad he got out ok.”

Tony said that as the crew made their way into the flat they could hear James banging on the door and it was a case of getting James out first and extinguishing the fire.

He added: “His actions are a good fire safety message. It was a good team effort and we wish our paramedic colleague well.

“He was treated by other paramedics at the scene and police were involved too so it was a good inter-service effort.

“It could have been worse if he had not done the right thing. It’s not something that happens regularly but we don't treat anybody any different to anybody else.”

Today James praised the firefighters, two crews from Weymouth and one from Portland, and said: “I just want to thank Dorset Fire and Rescue Service – I owe my life to them.

“Also, thanks to my crew mate who managed to get everyone safely out of the flat and evacuated the rest of the buildings.

“If she hadn’t done that there could have been five more casualties.”

A spokesman for Dorset Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the cause of fire was believed to be accidental and the flat sustained severe smoke and heat damage.