A hero sprang into action and put out a blaze sparked by a powerful bolt of lightning.

When father-of-one Bob Gault heard the fire alarm next door he grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out a burning television and video recorder which was filling his neighbour's house with smoke.

Mr Gault, 38, of Westfield Avenue North, Saltdean, Brighton was happily sleeping through the thunder last night but awoke with a start to a sudden loud bang just before midnight.

A blue flash of lightning lit up the sky and the electrical fuses blew, leaving his house in darkness.

The television and video which his wife Anne had been watching beside him in bed had blown and he smelt burning downstairs.

As his daughter Laura, eight, lay sleeping he checked nothing was on fire in his own home and responded to the alarm he heard coming from the adjoining house.

He looked out of the window and saw his neighbour Yvonne Denheijer with her three children Chris, 16, Matt, 14 and Katie, eight, gathered in their night clothes in front of their house.

Mr Gault, who has worked as a Transco craftsperson for 20 years, said: "Without giving it a second thought I rushed inside and got changed into my flame retardant clothes, got my fire extinguisher out of the van and went into the house.

"There was a lot of thick black smoke but I knew where the television and video were as the house was in the same layout as ours, just back to front.

"There was already burning on the back wall so it was spreading quickly.

"The family had all been fast asleep, so if they hadn't had a smoke alarm the consequences could have been much worse."

It is believed the lightning struck the outside aerial and caused the television and video to go up in flames.

Mr Gault shrugged off being hailed a hero and said: "It was just one of those things where you do what you can to help in an emergency situation.

"I was most concerned about the safety of my neighbours. I was just glad they all safe and well."

Mrs Gault, 34, said: "Bob just took one breath and dashed into the smoke-filled house.

"The incident was quite frightening and shows just how important it is to have a smoke alarm in the house.

"Bob wouldn't call himself a hero although it is typical of him to help people in such circumstances.

"He works with live gas all the time so he is used to dealing with explosions.

"He was even sent to the basement at the Grand Hotel in Brighton hours after the bomb went off."

Firefighters from Roedean arrived at the scene minutes after Mr Gault's quick-thinking actions to find the fire had already been extinguished.

They ventilated the building, which was smoke damaged. No one was hurt.

A spokesman for East Sussex Fire Brigade said: "Mr Gault did extremely well. He prevented a much more serious fire."