The 34-year-old had to be rescued from his Nimmo Street flat after a blaze took hold within his kitchen shortly before 11pm on Monday.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus removed him from the property after neighbours raised the alarm.

Three appliances from Greenock fire station were sent to the address and reached the scene within five minutes.

Four firefighters entered the flat to conduct a search and rescue operation, which led to the man being safely removed from the building.

Police were also at the scene and have now confirmed the man is the subject of a report to the procurator fiscal.

It is alleged he was unco-operative with emergency services and abused firefighters.

The blaze is believed to have started accidentally when items that had been placed on top of the cooker caught fire.

Station manager David Devenay, commanding officer at Greenock, said: “The fact the flat had a working smoke alarm and the vigilance of the neighbours who heard it activate prevented this becoming a potentially catastrophic fire.

“When our crews arrived they could see flames through the window.

“They forced entry and very quickly brought a challenging incident to a safe conclusion.

“The man who was inside the flat has had a very lucky escape and it’s thanks to the quick thinking of neighbours and the calm, professional actions of firefighters that this fire did not spread or result in serious injuries.” The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have issued a warning to residents to recognise the common causes of fire and take simple steps to reduce the risk.

They are urging people to never walk away from the cooker without first making sure they have taken pots and pans off the heat and turned off dials and the grill.

They say that towels, kitchen roll and other materials that could easily catch fire should always be kept well away from the cooker.

If a fire does happen then the early warning provided by working smoke alarms is crucial.

When a fire starts the advice from SFRS is for everyone inside a property to immediately get out and call 999.

The fire service is urging people to arrange a free home safety visit by phoning the freephone number 0800 073 1999 or texting ‘FIRE’ to the free number 80800.