`Off-duty fireman lends helping hand - AN OFF-duty firefighter sprung into action when he passed a burning house in Birmingham.

Neighbours had raised the alarm when they saw smoke coming out of the terraced property in Goosemoor Lane, Erdington.

Before fire crews arrived, the fireman, who works at Sutton Coldfield, checked with neighbours to see if anyone was in the house and also went round the back to make sure.

Watch commander Bob Riley, from Erdington, said: "He ascertained there was no-one in the house. The family had left half-an-hour earlier. He then gathered all the necessary information for us so when we arrived we knew what we were dealing with."

The fire started in a box room and is believed to have been sparked by an overloaded plug socket.

It caused 50 per cent fire damage to the box room and 100 per cent smoke damage to rest of the house on Friday morning (12/11/2010).