Chesterfield care-worker speaks of dramatic fire rescue

Becca Sharpe, 27, of Kinglsey Avenue, Chesterfield, was arriving at a job at a house on Blandford Drive in Newbold when she noticed smoke coming from a neighbouring home.

She found Clive Knowles, who suffers from dementia, hammering on his front window, pleading for help to get out. His keys where in the kitchen, where the fire was.

She said: “I called the fire service and relayed their instructions to him. He barricaded himself in and put blankets underneath the door to where the fire was in the kitchen.

His family have even sent her a card to say thank you for saving their dad’s life.

Firefighters from Dronfield, Staveley and Chesterfield were called to the blaze at Blandford Drive in Newbold at 8.26pm on Sunday April 3.

Becca said: “I was doing a call at one of the nearby houses and I parked up and noticed there was smoke. Then I saw a man hammering on the front window, asking for help. I was talking to him and trying to calm him down.

“Firefighters arrived in minutes and broke down the door. The family met me last night and said he is doing well and is very thankful for my help. He had to have his lungs cleared.”

Becca said she was only doing what anyone would have done. She returned to work the next day and on Tuesday was at her other job working with adults with learning disabilities.

She said: “Afterwards I rang the person who was on call at work and told her what had happened and she said ‘oh my god, are you ok?’

“I got someone to drive me home as I didn’t think I should be driving after that - I was shaking.”

The cause of the blaze was thought to be a plastic drinks tray that had been left on the hob.