Quick-thinking pensioner Ron Strachan rushed into action with two fire extinguishers when a fire broke out in a neighbour's house.

Ron helped 24-year-old Mike Shepherd from his smoke-filled home this morning before putting out the blaze, started by a chip pan.

Mike, and his twin-brother Ken, who had already escaped from the house, were taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, for treatment for smoke inhalation.

Ron, 69, and his wife Irene, were asleep in their home in Walkers Close, Asthall, near Burford, when they were woken just before 1am.

Ron said: "We woke up with dry throats and itchy eyes and could smell smoke. I thought it must be someone's bonfire.

"Then I heard banging and scuffling from next door. I went downstairs and realised there was a fire next door so I grabbed a couple of fire ext- inguishers and put them round quick." The fire is believed to have started in a chip pan in the kitchen while Mike was asleep upstairs and Ken was in another downstairs room.

Ron said: "Ken was already outside laid out on the grass from breathing in smoke. He'd cut his hand too, smashing a window.

"The house was in darkness because the fire had burned out the electricity, and full of smoke. Mike came down the stairs and said he thought the fire was out but I could see sparks from the rafters so I got him outside and used the fire extinguishers which did the trick.

"It was just lucky we woke up, otherwise the fire could have spread to the other three houses in the terraces.

"I'm no hero, I just did what any neighbour would do."

The fire was out by the time firefighters from Witney and Burford arrived.

Ron said: "They were amazing, they were so quick, but the fire was out by then."

Ron used to work for a car repair workshop at nearby Crawley Mill and had taken out a long leaf on the extinguishers which he kept when he retired.

"I'm glad I did. The man only came round last week to give them an annual check," said Ron.

The kitchen at the Shepherds' house, which was build in 1948, was badly damaged by the blaze.

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