"Toxic smoke affects your ability to breathe. It is a sensation similar to drowning," said Guy Williams, temporary station manager at Tweedale fire station in Telford.

A 21-year-old Shropshire student is recovering after being rescued last week from Liverpool Hope University by firefighters who said that he was very close to death when they found him unconscious and not breathing in a kitchen surrounded by toxic smoke. Firefighters revived him after getting to him within a minute of arriving on the scene. The fire may have started from a chip pan.

"If you do not have a working smoke alarm and test it weekly then you do take the risk of literally drowning in the smoke of a house fire. Smoke takes hold devastatingly quickly. It takes you completely by surprise and the only way to get a warning, especially if you are asleep at night, is with a smoke alarm," said Mr Williams.

In 2007 there were almost 35,000 accidental house fires in England resulting in 200 deaths. There were 7,100 injuries - 19 a day.

People vastly underestimate the impact of toxic smoke, said Mr Williams.

In a national survey, almost half of people polled thought they could survive for more than two minutes in a smoke filled room.

"This is unlikely, toxic smoke can kill a child in under a minute," said Rabinder Dhami, Team Leader in Community Fire Safety at Shrewsbury fire HQ

Residents also wrongly believed that the smell of smoke would alert them when, in reality, gases and smoke from a fire numb the senses and put you into a deeper sleep.

A fifth said that either their dog or another member of the household would raise the alarm.

"The only thing you should rely on is a working smoke alarm. It buys you time for you and your family to get out," said Mr Dhami.

People living in homes without a smoke alarm are more than twice as likely to die in an accidental house fire, he revealed.

Residents should fit a smoke alarm on each level of their home, test alarms weekly, plan an escape route, and check electrical appliances are safe in the kitchen as this is where most house fires start.

Video on toxic shock phenomena available to be downloaded for website viewing from www.firekills.direct.gob.uk/video

Free safety advice and a home visit from trained Shropshire fire safety crew is available by calling 01743 260298 or write via Freepost to Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, Community Fire Safety Department, Brigade HQ, St Michael's Street, Shrewsbury SY1 2HJ. For more information visit www.shropshirefire.gov.uk

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