A FIVE-year-old boy and his mother were treated for smoke inhalation after a chip pan fire at their home in Infirmary Street, Blackburn.
They were asleep upstairs when the 22-year-old's boyfriend came home and fell asleep in front of the TV.
He woke up a few moments later but the downstairs was filled with acrid smoke. He raised the alarm and the three left the house and dialled 999.
The boy and his mother were given oxygen by firefighters and taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary as a precaution.
Station officer at Blackburn Fire Station Peter Fraser said: "They were very lucky. The house did have a smoke alarm but the battery had been removed.
"It was only by sheer luck the man woke up and the incident could have been a lot worse. Can I stress to everyone how important it is to have a proper, working smoke alarm."
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