The fire started in the cellar of 63-year-old Ted Robbins’ home in Rossendale, Lancashire, yesterday. The BBC Radio Lancashire presenter said he had noticed an “acrid smell” at his home around 2pm. He said: “My eyes were watering. It happened so quickly. It was billowing out. Within three minutes the place was full of smoke.”
Reflecting on the moment, he added to the BBC: “I covered the tumble dryer with a wet towel.
“It was the last thing I expected because it was plugged in but it wasn’t on.”
Firefighters then swiftly rushed to the scene where they administered oxygen to Ted and checked him over.
The presenter went on to say he and his wife Judith were “hugely lucky to get out and stay out”.
He added the fire had “completely gutted” his utility room and bathroom, adding: “She [Judith] hasn’t got any knickers. It burnt the lot.”
According to the news website, Ted also joked about whether or not he had breathed in smoke.
He told them: “Not since the fourth form at school behind the bike sheds.”
He added: “You know something is serious when there is no banter.”
Following the ordeal, Ted took to his Twitter page to thank the fire and rescue team who helped him.
In view of his 10,000 followers, he wrote: “Huge Thanks to Magnificent Lancashire Fire & Rescue team who put out and sorted the fire at ours yesterday-very scary but no-one injured thank God.
“Please everyone-check all white electrical goods-tumble dryers especially!”
Ted’s niece Emily is yet to address her uncle’s ordeal publicly.
Elsehwere, back in 2015, Ted collapsed during a performance on Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights Live.
The Den Perry actor was saved by a paramedic from the audience after he suffered a cardiac arrest within minutes of walking on stage.
He previously told The Mirror: “I was clinically dead.
“The paramedic said the chances of making a recovery like mine were just eight per cent. He told me: ‘Ted, you are walking rocking horse s***!’”
