A YOUNG family are "lucky to be alive" after escaping from a blaze at their Accrington home.

Dawn Lishman, and her three young children aged two, three and four-years-old, suffered the effects of smoke inhalation after the fire at their home in Richmond Hill Street.

Crew manager Craig Etherington said yesterday's incident could have been much worse.

He said: "We could have been looking at casualties. There were no smoke alarms fitted anywhere in the premises and the family were lucky to get out when they did.

"If we had arrived much later the whole house could have been taken up.

"The family could have prevented this if they had installed smoke detectors."

Miss Lishman and her children had already escaped from their smoke-logged home when fire crews arrived, but were taken to Blackburn Infirmary.

Mr Etherington said investigations were still continuing into the cause of the fire but it is believed that an electric heater may have ignited a small clothes hamper in the house's second bedroom ignited before the fire spread to a mattress and clothes.

The family had only been living at the property for three months. Witnesses reported seeing smoke pouring out of windows in an upstairs bedroom just after 9.30am before fire fighters were called.

At the scene the family's landlord, who refused to give her name, said: "It is a really big shock to see the house like this. It is horrific and could have been a lot worse."

A spokesman for Accrington CID said the matter would be investigated.

Mr Etherington said that the incident reiterated the importance of fitting smoke alarms.

You can contact the fire service for free installation of smoke alarms and home fire safety checks on freephone 0800 169 1125.