FRANK Bensted won’t let the fire that tore through his unit get to him.
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The 85-year-old was upbeat on Thursday morning despite the extensive damage to his Wyse Street home and many of his possessions.
Neighbour Mark Young had leapt to the rescue after Mr Bensted rushed to his home about 12.45am and raised the alarm.
Mr Bensted has only one leg, and suffers medical problems with it.
I’m pleased that I woke up in time otherwise I’d be history
- Frank Bensted
He heated a wheat pack before going to bed early Thursday morning and put it under his leg, but it caught alight and set his bed on fire.
By the time Mr Young had arrived, the Albury pensioner’s bedroom and most of his house was glowing orange as it filled with flames and smoke.
Despite being apprehensive, Mr Young entered the home with a garden hose and tried to access the bedroom.
But thick, acrid smoke from the burning mattress forced him back outside.
“I could just see the fire intensifying and it was bad news,” he said.
“I grabbed the hose and broke a window, but there was mesh on it so it wasn’t easy to break.
“I started to pour water in for probably five minutes and thought I needed to call Triple-0.
By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze had been brought under control.
But Mr Bensted’s mattress, bedroom and many of his clothes were destroyed, with further smoke damage throughout his unit.
“I was calm, thinking back now,” Mr Bensted said after the incident.
“I made one attempt to put it out myself with a glass of water, but it kept getting bigger and bigger.
“I’m not too upset because I didn’t get hurt.
“My leg’s alright and there’s not too much you can do about it, is there?
“I’m pleased that I woke up in time otherwise I’d be history.”
Mr Bensted lost a leg in 1938 and said it would have taken him three to four minutes to attach his artificial limb.
So he instead rushed outside on his crutches.
Mr Young said his neighbour was still very independent despite his age and disability.
Firefighters said the home was not fitted with a working smoke alarm.
A spokesman said the incident highlighted the need for all properties to have the devices installed.
