Lancaster father saves wife and children from fire
A father has rescued his wife and three young children from their burning home in Lancaster.
A serious fire believed to have been caused by a wood burner in the ground floor of the house on Greaves Drive broke out at about 03:00 GMT.
The father was alerted to the blaze by a smoke alarm and managed to get the family out of the house safely.
Lancaster Fire Station commander Paul Dorrington said: "The alarm saved their lives and prevented a tragedy."
He said: "They would never have known anything about it; the room would have filled with smoke because the fire, which broke out in the dining room, had reached one of the children's bedrooms on the first floor."
The father has been a hero - he has done everything right in getting them all out."
Mr Dorrington added: "We are still investigating the cause of the fire but we believe it is accidental and can be traced to a wood burner in the dining room."
The family were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation but have since been released.