TRIBUTES have been paid to an "intelligent and vibrant" pensioner who died from severe burns and smoke inhalation after a fire at her home in Porlock.

Margaret Trask, who was known as Peggy, was trapped in her home, Geranium Cottage, in Doverhay when fire broke out just before 4.30pm last Thursday.

A passer-by raised the alarm after seeing smoke billowing out of a bedroom window and neighbour, parish council vice-chairman Keith Jacobs, used an 'emergency key' in a valiant attempt to rescue her.

But both he and another passer-by, tree surgeon Philip Farmer were beaten back by fumes and heat.

Firefighters from Porlock Fire Station were on the scene within four minutes and managed to pull Mrs Trask, who was 91, to safety.

She was given oxygen at the scene and taken to a specialist burns unit at Bristol's Frenchay Hospital, where she died at 4.30am the following morning.

Mr Jacobs said: "We only got to the top of the stairs and we just couldn't breathe. It was frightening.

"I was desperately trying to save her . . . I got my hair slightly singed. It was so hot and horrible."

He said Mrs Trask had been a "dear, dear friend" and, despite her age, was still very astute.

"I used to take the crossword into her every day and she absolutely loved nature.

"She had a robin and a blackbird she used to feed. Her body may have slowed down, but she was very active in her mind," Mr Jacobs said.

Mrs Trask moved to Porlock in the 1970s having lived in Africa, Northern Ireland and Exmoor, where she used to take in and care for unwanted ponies.

She was widowed when her husband Darrell died some 20 years ago and the couple had one son, Philip.

A spokesman for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the fire was still under investigation but it was believed to have started in an electrical socket or wiring.

Ironically, the blaze happened in the first week Porlock fire station finally had enough trained crew members on hand to enable the station to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For the last five years the station has struggled to recruit enough retained firefighters and this week station commander Hugh Pollard paid tribute to his team.

He said: "I am immensely proud of the dedication shown by the crew in their continual efforts to bring the station back on line and of the superhuman efforts displayed by the crew at the incident, one of whom was on his first ever call-out.

"The time the crews arrived at the incident to the removal of the elderly lady from the building was under four minutes.

"Two Minehead appliances, which had been mobilised at the same time as Porlock, arrived a few minutes later and worked with their Porlock colleagues to extinguish the fire.

"From both my own point of view and from speaking to members of the crew I know that the moral and physical support given to us by the Minehead crews was very much appreciated."

Mr Pollard praised the professionalism of both fire and ambulance crews and the bravery of Mr Jacobs and Mr Farmer who tried to rescue Mrs Trask.

He said everyone had been saddened to hear she had later died.