A Mid Sussex man collapsed in his front garden after fleeing his burning house.
Two fire crews arrived at the semi-detached building in West Way, Three Bridges, to find a neighbour giving the man first aid.
The blaze started in the kitchen at about 6.55pm on Friday.
Firefighters rescued a kitten that had become trapped in the house.
Sub Officer Gary Towson said the cause of the fire was still being investigated but the man may have fallen asleep waiting for food to cook.
He said: "On this occasion the man was very fortunate to escape as the smoke given off in this type of fire can be fatal.
"If the property had been fitted with a working smoke alarm, the fire would have been discovered a lot earlier."
The house was badly damaged and the man taken to Crawley Hospital suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation.
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