A WOMAN was last night in a critical condition in hospital after being rescued from house fire in Padiham.

Margaret Jackson, 55, was rescued by firefighters, but had inhaled a lot of smoke as the flames took hold of the ground floor of her house in Windermere Road.

Neighbours heard the front windows cracking, saw thick black smoke coming from the semi-detached house and called the fire service around 11.30pm on Sunday.

Two men from houses next door tried to break into the house through the back door, but were beaten back by heat and smoke.

Mrs Jackson, who was said was in the house alone at the time, was carried out and given first aid by firefighters and then paramedics.

She was in the critical care unit at Royal Blackburn Hospital yesterday. Last night her condition was described as ‘very poorly’.

Mrs Jackson was found slumped unconscious at the foot of her bed in an upstairs bedroom at the back of the house. The bed was unmade and fire investigators will look at the possibility she was overcome by smoke as she tried to escape.

Fire investigators said there were no batteries in her smoke alarm.

One crew carried her down the stairs and out of the property as other crews tackled the ‘intense’ fire in the front living room.

Padiham station manager Steve Morgan said: “The lady is in a very poorly condition. She has inhaled a lot of smoke. We are just hoping she recovers.

“There was intense heat in the living room, which was the seat of the fire. There were flames and thick black smoke coming from the front window.

“Initially when we got the call, neighbours mentioned that she has a son and a granddaughter that are sometimes at home.

“We were very concerned and did a thorough search of the house until police contacted us to say they had located her son.

“He was with his mum at hospital on Monday morning.”

There was also smoke damage to the dining room, kitchen and utility room, hallway, staircase, bathroom, toilet and some bedrooms on the first floor.

Fire investigators were back at the scene yesterday morning with Burnley CID and forensic teams.

It is believed the fire was accidental.