Burnley grandma left terrified after firework smashes through window and lands on her bed

Fire crews said Kathleen Cawtherley 'could have been killed' by the Bonfire Night rocket, which set fire to the curtain and duvet cover at her home in Holmes Square.

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The news came as firefighters issued a safety warning after they were called to dozens of dangerous bonfires across East Lancashire on Wednesday night.

Mrs Cawtherley, a 65-year-old widow, was watching television at 6.15pm when she heard a 'massive bang' in the bedroom of her groundfloor flat.

She said: "I went through but couldn't see for the smoke and was so frightened. I could see the curtains were on fire and I pulled them down. I didn't even notice the quilt at first.

"It's lucky I wasn't in bed because I probably would have been killed."

The pensioner, who has eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren, called 999, and crews were able to extinguish the fire quickly on arrival.

Mrs Cawtherley was treated for smoke inhalation but did not need hospital treatment.

Andy Coulton, crew manager at Burnley Fire Station, said: "This seems to have been an accident, but it shows that people need to be aware when they are using fireworks to try and make sure they are safe.

"This looks to have been a more industrial type firework which should only be handled by professionals."

Crews were not able to identify where the rocket had been lit.

Meanwhile, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) has urged people against lighting their own bonfires and fireworks this weekend, and to attend an organised display instead.

East Lancashire crews were called to more than 100 incidents between 5pm on Wednesday and 5am the next morning, including 84 bonfires which were lit in private gardens, fields and public spaces. Forty-nine were deemed to be dangerous and had to be extinguished.

Jon Charters, group manager at LFRS, said: “The number of incidents that Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service attended this Bonfire Night was similar to the number of incidents on Bonfire Night in 2013.

“There were a very small minority of people however who thought that it would be a good idea to let off fireworks in properties. Not only could this act cause a very serious property fire, it could also kill or severely injure people who were in the property at the time.

"Each incident reported to us is investigated by the police and every effort will be made to catch the people responsible.

"If anyone has any information about these incidents, you can call the Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

John Taylor, spokesman for LFRS, said: "Bonfires are not illegal but can potentially become very dangerous.

"Our crews ensure that fires do not endanger lives or people's property, but we would obviously urge people to go to a bonfire that's properly organised.

"Of course we'd like to see fewer incidents than this over weekend, although we do have the capacity to deal with them if necessary."

There are no laws against having your own bonfire, but the authorities can step in when they cause a nuisance or become dangerous. Those who repeatedly light nuisance fires can be issued an ‘abatement notice’, which can be followed by a £5,000 if they don’t obey it.