TWO men were rescued by firefighters after a blaze started in their Darwen home early today..

Charles Osborne, 50, of Ellerbeck Road, Darwen, was left critically injured, suffering from burns and smoke inhalation, after the fire broke out in the living room.

Firefighters rescued his 81-year-old father, also Charles, from the house suffering from smoke inhalation, after they were called to the property at just after 5am.

Neighbour Christine Flynn raised the alarm after hearing one of the downstairs windows smashing.

Officer in charge Stuart Padbury said: "We were unsure when we arrived whether there was anyone inside the property.

"As soon as we got in and made a search, we discovered the elderly occupant on the upstairs landing.

"He was brought out, and, as we were attending to him, he informed us that his son was still in the house.

"We found him downstairs, sat in a chair in the living room, where the fire was located.

"Fire crews with first aid training and paramedics worked on him until he was taken to Blackburn Infirmary."

Mr Padbury said there was no evidence of smoke alarms in the property and if it had not been for a neighbour alerting the emergency services, the fire could have been far more serious.

"Smoke alarms are an early warning device and on this occasion an early warning would have made the outcome far better.

"Had we been another five minutes, it would have been too late."

Sub officer Ken Barlow added: "These two men are very lucky to be alive without a doubt and any longer and we probably would have had two fatalities."

Christine, 35, said: "I heard the window smashing and I thought I should ring the fire brigade.

"I could see the smoke and I could tell there was something wrong.

"I knew they didn't have a phone in their house.

"The fire brigade told me that the window had smashed due to the heat, so it must have been going for some time.

"We are very close to it, and I was also thinking of our neighbours and my four children if it had spread."

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, but there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances.

Initial investigations suggest it may have been started by a heater left on close to foam-filled furniture.