A Croydon pensioner escaped unhurt from a fire in his sheltered accommodation, prompting fire chiefs to make renewed calls for mandatory sprinkler systems in care homes.

The fire broke out in the kitchen of the flat in Truscott House, Stanley Grove, at about 4pm on September 14, as the elderly man slept.

But before smoke reached the bedroom the blaze was doused by sprinklers, which also set off the fire alarm.

By the time firefighters from Norbury and Croydon arrived on the scene, the fire was already out and the man had been safely evacuated.

London Fire Brigade’s assistant commissioner for fire safety, Neil Orbell, said: "In London alone there are more than ten fires a week in housing where care is provided.

"We firmly believe that installing sprinklers in buildings like Truscott House, which house some of London’s most vulnerable residents, will help further reduce the number of fire related deaths and injuries in the capital."

Sprinklers were fitted at the 40-unit Truscott House, a residential care facility for vulnerable residents, after Norbury fire station advised Croydon Council that the facility would benefit from the safety measure.

Five other council extra-care blocks have also fitted with sprinklers.

Councillor Alison Butler, Croydon Council’s cabinet member for homes, regeneration & planning, said: "We invested in these sprinklers to better protect some of our most vulnerable residents, so I am relieved that they did their job and that no-one was hurt in this fire."

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: "The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental and is thought to have originated in the toaster."