FIVE-MONTH-OLD Katie Vallance saved her entire family today by screaming when a fire broke out in their home.

Little Katie began to make a noise after the blaze started in the living room of a home on Wycollar Road, Blackburn, at around 1.30am.

Her crying woke the rest of her family, who managed to escape and raise the alarm.

Katie was staying with grandmother, Pamela Barnes, 64, along with her father Greg, 39, mum Nicola, 36, and sisters Charlotte, eight, and Lydia, six. They were all taken to Blackburn Infirmary suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation, along with neighbour Mark Hughes, 20, who went to help them.

Mrs Barnes, a retired biology teacher at Westholme School, said today: "We'd all have burnt to death if it wasn't for Katie.

"She just screamed and it woke her mum up straight away.

"My family are only up here for the weekend so I consider myself to be very lucky.

"We're not sure if Katie was woken by the smoke or she was just restless, but whichever way, she's the best." The family were due to return to their home in Greenwich, London, later today.

Mrs Barnes said she had let her fire burn overnight because of the cold weather.

Station Officer Andrew Barnes, of Blackburn Fire Brigade, said the fire started when an open coal fire ignited a wooden surround.

He said: "The blaze destroyed the living room of the home. But there was no smoke detector in the house and if the baby hadn't woken up and started crying then they would have all been in big trouble."

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