TWO men pulled a young brother and sister from their burning home while firefighters rescued their mother last night.

And fire chiefs today warned that people could have died after fire crews were delayed as they tackled a deliberate fire at the other side of town.

Daniel Lord, 12, and his sister Samantha, 11, were rescued from their smoke-filled bedroom in Thorn Street, Rawtenstall, at 11.30pm.

Their mum, Karen, 34, was dragged from her bedroom by fire crews after falling unconscious from smoke inhalation.

She was given treatment at the scene before being taken to Burnley General Hospital and is today said to be in a stable condition.

Neighbours were alerted when flames were seen coming from the windows and roof.

The family were all in bed when neighbours Tim Justice and Andrew Lynch came to their rescue.

Tim provided a ladder for Daniel to escape from the upstairs bedroom window and 21-year old Andrew climbed out of his skylight window to to get on to the roof to rescue Samantha.

The family's greyhound dog was also rescued when firefighters searching the house found him cowering under the bed.

Fire chiefs are planning to nominate the courageous pair for a Lancashire Fire and Rescue bravery award.