A Winchester student entered a burning building to save the life of an elderly man on Monday night.

Using a ladder to reach the top floor window, Edward Herbert, 20, climbed inside the Stanmore house and pulled the 84-year old man to the window while the kitchen below was ablaze.

Edward stayed with the man and waited for emergency services to arrive.

“I just wanted to get him out,” Edward said, “He fainted twice on me and that was pretty scary, because I thought the worst, really.”

Fire fighters had to smash the door down to tackle the blaze while the man was lifted through the window to safety.

He is now recovering in hospital.

Chris Roper, of Winchester Fire Station, said: “The alarm was raised by neighbours who heard a smoke alarm sounding. The fire, which was in the ground floor kitchen of the property, is thought to have started due to an electrical fault. The occupier was upstairs in his bedroom at the time. Fortunately neighbours heard the alarm sounding and dialled 999."

The cause of the fire is under investigation.