An elderly man survived a fire which broke out in his bedroom by using his mobile phone to call for help after frantic pressing of the Telecare pendant proved to be futile.

The fire broke out at 4am on Sunday after Maurice Cilia, 87, was woken up by what he described as an “explosion” of his air conditioning unit at his Guardamangia residence.

The ensuing blaze melted the telephone wires, which meant that the Telecare service was rendered ineffectual.

Mr Cilia is still in hospital, being treated for smoke inhalation, slight burns and a chest infection.

“Were it not for a brave neighbour and family friend, who went into the smoke to help my father out, he would have been burnt to a crisp,” his distraught daughter, Fleur Marie Cilia Buckett, told this newspaper.

She added that the first thing she did after she was informed of the incident was to contact Telecare and ask for a report of any communication which the company had with her father.

Telecare informed her that they had not received any communication from Mr Cilia on the day.

While the elderly man insisted he had persistently pressed the pendant he wore about his neck, electricians pointed out to Ms Cilia Buckett that the telephone wires were burnt to a crisp due to their close proximity to the flaming air conditioning unit.

“I’d like to raise awareness on ensuring that one’s home is safe, especially after witnessing firsthand the shock and damage which a fire could cause,” Ms Cilia Buckett said.

“Unfortunately, the Telecare system was not enough to protect my elderly father.

“Perhaps if the telephone wire had been positioned away from the blaze, the service would have worked.”

Mr Cilia had just switched on the air conditioning unit that night after getting out of bed for a drink of water.

As he dozed off, the unit short-circuited and Mr Cilia woke up to “three-foot flames rolling about on the ceiling”.

Frozen to the spot, Mr Cilia frantically phoned up a family friend after pressing the Telecare pendant.

“Both men emerged from the house covered in soot from top to bottom,” Ms Cilia Buckett explained.

Were it not for a brave neighbour and family friend, my father would have been burnt to a crisp

“All our friend could make out through the cloud of smoke and fumes were my father’s legs. My father is wheezing like a smoker, although he never once lifted a cigarette to his lips. He even had a burn after a piece of plastic melted into his skin.”

While the two men were rushed to hospital, a fire engine put out the flames.

Half of the furniture was destroyed, along with the curtains and carpet. The walls were blackened, as were the clothes in the wardrobe which Mr Cilia left ajar.

Two Our Lady of Fatima statues remained intact, as were the photos of Ms Cilia Buckett’s departed mother and sister.

“The bed my father was on was miraculously untouched – it was surreal, because the entire surroundings were black. I’m so grateful that my father was saved in time,” she said.

A spokesman for Telecare explained that while the service would still operate in the event of a power cut, it needed to have a good telephone connection in place for it to function.

However, he added, Telecare offered additional services such as fire detectors and temperature extreme sensors which detect rapid changes.