A man jumped from a first-floor window after a fire swept through his house in Co Down last night.
The fire quickly engulfed the semi-detached property in Kinghill Avenue, Newcastle, Co Down.
The Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the fire, which started at about 8pm, has yet to be established.
Frank Pancott, Assistant District Commander at Downpatrick, said the man jumped about 10ft from a window.
He said: "It was very, very intense fire.
"It took out the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, floors, doors and window frames, right through into the roof space.
"The man was extremely lucky as this fire spread very quickly."
Mr Pancott said there was serious concern the blaze would spread to a neighbouring property, but in the end it was only affected by smoke damage. At its height four crews attended the incident, but the man managed to escape before the first firefighters arrived.
