A 70-YEAR-OLD man escaped with his life as his city home was destroyed by fire in the early hours of this morning.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service were called to Sutton Road, in the St Julian's area of Newport, at 6.30am today after a blaze started in a fireplace of the property.
Homeowner Alan Matthews, 70, lives there with his cat Sia and he told the Argus he had to smash a window and dive out to save them both.
He said the fire started in the fireplace, and spread to nearby items including boxes. He came out of the bathroom and tried putting out the flames with buckets of water.
He said: "It all happened in 10 minutes. I held my puff, and I got out before it got me. I couldn't see."
Mr Matthews is a retired truck driver for BT and is now a keen musician, who busks in Newport and Cardiff. He lost 24 guitars in the fire, worth around £30,000.
He said the house was "completely gutted".
"I'm alive, I'll start again. It's stuff at the end of the day. I'm more gutted about my Fender Stratocaster. I bought it in 1971 for £300, it would have been worth £5,000 now. It was my pride and joy."
A spokesperson for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: "At approximately 6.24am, we received reports of a domestic fire on Sutton Road, Newport.
"Multiple crews attended the scene and alongside emergency service colleagues.
"A stop message was received at 8.23am approximately."
The street had to be cordoned off while the fire was brought under control.
Updates to follow
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