ONE MINUTE he was looking forward to sausage and chips - the next he was battling in terror through thick smoke and hauling himself out of a window to escape a house fire.

Jason Peterson, 36, will now need to be rehoused after an electrical deep fryer - given to him by his sister for a Christmas present - burst into flames and set light to his bungalow in Wykeham Grove, Leeds.

The disabled interior design student had left the chip pan unattended while he went to the toilet at about 9pm on Monday, when he heard an explosion - and got back to find the machine on fire.

With his partner and carer Linda Davis out at work, Mr Peterson, who struggles to walk because of a crumbling spine, decided to tackle the blaze himself but was unable to stifle the flames. By now the route to the front door was blocked and the only way out was through the bedroom window.

"I covered myself with the towel but the fire was blocking the way to the front door," he said. "I had to go through darkness and smoke, trying to find my way. I couldn’t climb over the window sill - I had to literally slide myself over and fall out."

Mr Peterson was treated for smoke inhalation on the scene while firefighters battled the blaze.

The fire gutted the kitchen and hallway and left the house uninhabitable - leaving Mr Peterson in temporary accommodation waiting to be rehomed.

He thanked both firefighters and ambulance crews, as well as his neighbour Pat, and Golding Homes - who were "a godsend."

Read the full story in this week's Kent Messenger.