AROUND 20 residents were evacuated from nearby houses after an unconscious pensioner was pulled from her terrace home moments before it became engulfed in flames.

The woman, named by neighbours as Annie, was found slumped unconscious in the Todmorden Road house by police officers who broke in after spotting smoke and flames coming from the property in the early hours of this morning.

Some 20 neighbours from the row of 100-year-old terrace houses were evacuated by police and spent the night with family and friends or at the nearby St Stephen's Church, Oxford Road.

Police on patrol saw the fire shortly after 3am and broke in to the house through the back door where they found the woman, believed to be in her 60s, lying in the kitchen.

She was pulled to safety and taken to Burnley General Hospital suffering from slight burns and smoke inhalation while fire crews battled with the fire which quickly spread through the house.

Resident Sue Bispham, 45, said: "The first thing we knew anything was wrong was when there was a bang on the door telling us we had to get out of the house. It was very frightening because we didn't know what was happening. Luckily I was able to go and stay with family."

Paul Farrar, 38, added: "It was a very scary experience being woken up in the early hours of the morning and being told we had to leave the house. We were taken up to St Stephen's and then I went to stay with my sister."

Another, who asked not to be named, said Annie largely kept herself to herself.

Fire crews from Burnley and Padiham battled through the night to deal with the fire which was well alight when firefighters arrived.

Burnley Station Officer Steve Cope said: "The house was totally gutted and the roof and first floor have collapsed.

"The fire was still burning in the basement several hours after it started and we had to dig down to put it out but there were tonnes of hoarded material in the house.

"There were bin bags full stuff, books, clothes, bric-a-brac and all sorts and there were bags behind the front the door when we broke in.

"We don't know where or how it started, but we will be investigating."

The roofs of the houses either side of the property were also damaged by the fire.