A MAN who deactivated his smoke detector the day before a fire broke out in his flat is lucky to be alive, say firefighters.

The occupant of the flat in Canterbury Road, Birchington, escaped unhurt after an electrical fault in a mounted-wall heater led to the fire.

He was awake at the time, but had he been asleep the acrid smoke could have killed him.

Ramsgate fire station commander Paul Newman said: “This man was very lucky indeed. Just the day before he had removed the battery from his smoke detector because it was beeping. Little did he know that this tiny device could have alerted him early to the fire which was producing thick, black, deadly smoke that had the potential to kill.

“Luckily, he was awake at the time and saw wisps of smoke coming under his bedroom door and was young and agile enough to make a quick escape.

“This incident, although unfortunate, highlights a very salient fire safety message: fit, check and maintain smoke detectors and never, ever remove the batteries. It really could save your life.”

Crews from Margate and Westgate attended the incident at 11.30pm on Monday.