A MOTHER rescued her four children when candles set alight clothes and caused a blaze in the bedroom of their home today. The family fled from the fire in Preston New Road, Blackburn, and escaped unhurt.

Ann-Marie Astley, 33, woke up to see the chair next to her bed was on fire, and acted quickly to get six-year-old twins Robert and Ryan, Scott, 10, and Natalie, 14, out of the house.

She said: "I had fallen asleep and left some big candles burning on a chair beside my bed. There were some clothes on the back of the chair which caught fire.

"I don't know what made me wake up. I tried to put out the fire myself with a wet towel and burnt my finger, and when I realised I couldn't put it out I got everyone out and phoned the fire brigade."

She added: "I use candles at night because I don't like having a bright light on, but I'm not going to use candles again."

Six-year-old twins Robert and Ryan said they were frightened but glad their mum had rescued everyone.

Station Officer Peter Frazer, of Blackburn Fire Station, said: "She did the right thing. She got up and shut the door on it, then got everybody out. It was very lucky that she woke up as it could have been a lot worse.

"There's a message here, not to leave lighted candles unattended. She had four lighted candles on a chair and had fallen asleep. She would have woken earlier if she'd had a smoke alarm so we fitted one before we left."

Picture shows twins Robert and Ryan Astley

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