Weymouth family escapes as fire melts door
A family escaped with "seconds to spare" from a serious house fire in Weymouth, Dorset firefighters said.
Two boys and their grandparents were inside the property in Nuthatch Close, Littlemore, where fire broke out in the living room early on Tuesday.
Crews said there were no working smoke alarms in the house and the fire was so intense the front door began to melt.
By the time the family woke, shortly after 07:00 BST, the fire had spread significantly.
The blaze, which wrecked the living room and left the rest of the house smoke damaged, is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault.
Station manager Stuart Jeneson, who attended this incident, said: "The family inside this property escaped with seconds to spare this morning.
"I am very keen to remind people that having a working smoke alarm in your house, that you test once a week, could save your life.
"Getting into a good bedtime routine and closing internal doors around the house will also give you extra time to escape, if a fire occurs."