A MOTHER who was pulled by firefighters from her smoke-filled home along with her two-month-old baby said today: "Thank god they weren't on strike."

Little Shahab Bi was trapped in the bedroom at the flat above his parents' corner shop in Pringle Street, Blackburn, with his mother Sadia, 24, after a rubbish blaze broke out in the backyard.

The heat was so fierce it cracked a ground floor window and sent smoke billowing into the shop and flat.

When firefighters arrived at 9.30 last night they discovered Shahab and Sadia trapped upstairs. Two firefighters raced in and pulled out the mother and child.

The pair were treated for smoke inhalation at Blackburn Royal Infirmary and later released.

Sadia said today: "I just thank god they weren't on strike otherwise we don't know what would have happened.

"I'm so grateful for what the firefighters did. If they had been on strike I don't think we'd be here today".

Shahab's uncle, Ramat Mohammed, who lives opposite the shop, saw the blaze and rushed over.

He said: "The smoke was very bad and Sadia was very frightened.

"It would have been a lot worse if the firefighters were on strike."

Police and fire chiefs were today investigating the cause of the blaze and are treating it as suspicious.

A fire investigation dog has checked the scene and a firework has not yet been ruled out as a possible cause.

Blackburn leading firefighter Steve Boyne said any industrial action could have had serious consequences for the family.

He said: "It would have been treacherous for the people in the fire if we were on strike. None of us want to be.

"We rushed in through the front and I could hear someone shout 'My wife and child are in there, get them out, get them out.'"

"Myself and firefighter Dave Vose went upstairs and found the baby in the bedroom and the mother in the living room.

"The house was heavily smoke logged and the pair had breathed in quite a lot of smoke. When we got them out, they were treated immediately and taken to hospital."

He said that the consequence of this fire could have been much worse and he said that rubbish should always be kept well away from buildings or removed as soon as possible.

He also said that working smoke alarms should always be fitted and if anyone wants free fire safety advice they should contact Blackburn Fire Station on 01254 52111.

Firefighters' union leaders were today considering their next move after 11 hours of "evenly balanced" talks with employers aimed at resolving a long-running dispute over pay ended without agreement.

Officials from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and local authority employers both said progress had been made.

No firm offer was made to the union which is seeking a 40% pay rise to take salaries to £30,000. A four per cent offer has already been rejected.