Family has lucky escape from smoke-filled home thanks to neighbour

A family of four had a lucky escape from their smoke-filled home in Falinge after a neighbour raised the alarm.

Smoke alarms in the house were going off when fire crews arrived and a neighbour had tried to wake the residents by banging on the doors.

The family of two adults, thought to be in their early 20s, and two children under the age of one, were upstairs in bed at the time.

A pan had been left on a cooker in the kitchen and was burning - causing lots of smoke.

Two fire crews from Rochdale and one from Littleborough were called to Grouse Street in Falinge at 6.18am.

Watch Manager Peter Taylor, from Rochdale Fire Station, said: "Initially we tried to get into the house by the back door but the man came downstairs and opened the front door.

"The smoke alarms were going off but for some reason it didn't raise the residents so we went in and led the four of them out.

"There was a lot of smoke inside the property."

The family was checked over by paramedics at the scene but they declined to go to hospital.

Crews used a fan to clear the smoke and a thermal imaging camera to check there were no further signs of fire.

They also carried out a Home Safety Check, which included giving advice to the residents, before leaving the scene.

Watch Manager Taylor added: "The neighbour did a brilliant job and without them it could have been a lot worse."

More than half of accidental house fires start because of something to do with cooking - usually as a result of being distracted.

Ensure you have working smoke alarms in your home that are regularly checked.

Have a bedtime routine that involves checking all cooking and electrical appliances are switched off and plan an escape route so that everyone in the house knows what to do if there is a fire.