A woman has told of the moment she battled to save the life of five-year-old who had been engulfed in flames.

It is thought the young girl's clothes were set alight by a gas fire as she looked into a mirror placed above the mantelpiece.

The incident happened after the girl had apparently been left in the family home in the charge of a nine-year-old girl.

The youngster received 80 per cent burns to her body and was said to be in a critical but stable condition at the Burns Unit of the Sheffield Children's Hospital.

Neighbour Najma Khalid, of Tennyson Place, Bradford was outside her home on when she saw the youngster named Iqra engulfed in flames standing on the stairs of her family home.

"The image of her standing at the top of the stairs screaming is seared on my brain," said Mrs Khalid.

"It was horrific, my mind keeps re-playing it again and again.

"She just appeared suddenly and was screaming. She was like a massive ball of flames."

Mrs Khalid described how she acted on impulse in a bid to save the young girl

"The street was deserted and I ran towards her and dragged her down the steps and told her to drop on the floor and roll.

"She did what I said and I screamed at the top of my voice for someone to hand me a towel."

"A neighbour came out and handed me a towel and we wrapped her in it and I shouted for people to bring me water. I don't know how I knew what to do, I think I must have seen it on television on one of the hospital drama programmes," said Mrs Khalid who works as a chemistry teacher.

She said she then told her daughter to call an ambulance.

"She was just lying there but she was conscious and she was talking, asking for her mum. She was so brave," she said.

Mrs Khalid said the fire service were the first to arrive. and then the ambulance.

"The ambulance arrived then and she was very frightened about going to the hospital so I promised to go with her."

Mrs Khalid accompanied Iqra to the Bradford Royal Infirmary in the ambulance.

Mrs Khalid said the family, who have two children, moved into the house in September.

"I used to see Iqra in the street playing all the time, she is an absolutely delightful little girl,"

Martin Day, Fire investigation officer and station manager at Odsal Fire Station, said: "Unfortunately the young girl was looking in the mirror above the fire place when her loose clothes caught fire from the flames and she has suffered severe burns.

"We would deplore placing mirrors above fire places in the home, as this encourages an approach to a potentially lethal source of heat, and often real flames."

Free home safety fire checks can be booked by phoning 0800 587 4536.