A TELEPHONE operator helped save a woman's life by keeping her calm after a fire engulfed her home.

Barbara Pilkington, 40, of Leyland, works for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service on the emergency telephone line.

In the early hours of Monday she received a desperate cry for help from a 23-year-old woman trapped in her bedroom at the house in Croston Road, Garstang.

The blaze started on the ground floor of the house at around 1.50am leaving the terrified woman unable to escape.

Barbara, a mother-of-four, kept the woman on the line giving her advice and support while waiting for firefighters from Garstang and Lancaster to arrive. She said: "My training just came into play. It was all in my head and I managed to keep her talking. She was in some distress and I told her to shut the door and place something under it to stop the smoke coming in.

"She did want to climb out of the window and I had to persuade her to wait for the crews, telling her that they would come to her."

The woman, who has not been named, was rescued by firefighters who placed a ladder up to the bedroom window and carried her down. She was taken to the Royal Preston Hospital where she was treated for smoke inhalation before being discharged.

Barbara only joined the fire service in May and after completing an eight week course began working on the emergency calls in July.

Her action was praised by Phil Cox, assistant division officer who oversees the control room.

He said: "I'm very pleased with Barbara's progress. She carried through her training well."

He added: "There was no smoke alarm fitted. If there had been, then the woman would have noticed the fire earlier. It is vital for people's safety."

Barbara's husband Geoff, 46, a site supervisor for Lea Community Primary School, said he was really proud of her.

A woman was arrested on Monday in connection with incident and later released without charge. Investigations are under way to find the cause of the fire.