A FATHER today told of the fire drama which led to his family being evacuated from their house in the middle of the night.

Ken Dunne, 41, his wife and two teenage sons were hurried out of their Accrington home at 2.30am amid fears that a house two doors away could explode.

A fire had begun at the house in Broadfield Road, Fern Gore, after a suspected electric fault but fire crews also discovered the gas meter next to the electricity supply in the hallway was leaking and withdrew from the building.

Mr Dunne, an employee of British Gas, said: "We heard the sirens and wondered what was going on. The next thing we knew there was banging on the door and we told it was dangerous for us to stay in the house and we had to get out.

"I could smell gas and knew what the dangers were because of my job so we all got out. "The emergency crews were brilliant and very well organised."

Mr Dunne, his wife Anne, 39, and sons Shaun, 16, and Christopher, 14, spent the next hour and a half in their next-door neighbours' house.

Station Officer Neil Ashworth said: "It could have been very dangerous as the complication of the gas leak could have caused an explosion.

"Because of the electrical fault we were limited as we could not use water or that would have caused an explosion so we had to use a dry extinguisher until the electricity board attended to switch off the supply."

Fire crews advised police to evacuate all neighbouring houses but the two properties immediately adjacent to the house were unoccupied so only the one house was emptied.

When gas and electric supplies had been switched off, fire crews from Accrington, Oswaldtwistle and Great Harwood moved back into the house to extinguish the fire and make the house safe.

The occupants of the house are believed to have gone away for the weekend as they have not been seen by neighbours since last Friday and may not know about the fire.

Severe damage was caused to the hallway of the house, where the fire started, and the remainder of the house was heat and smoke-damaged.

A pet bird died in the blaze but a goldfish in an upstairs room was rescued and is waiting at Accrington Fire Station to be reclaimed when the occupants return.

Hyndburn Borough Council boarded up the house.