Neighbours watched in horror as a woman trapped in a burning building screamed for help from the window of her Huddersfield home last night.
The blaze quickly took hold and ripped through the family home in Moorbottom Road, Thornton Lodge trapping the woman and two men - believed to be her husband and grown-up disabled son - inside the burning building.
Thick acrid smoke could be seen billowing out of the two-storey terrace house shortly before midnight.
The fire, which began on the landing, blocked the only exit to the house and saw the two men and one women awake to the smell of smoke, despite not having a smoke alarm.
Fire crews from Huddersfield and Brighouse were on the scene within minutes, responding to the call that six people were trapped in the house, which they found to be well alight upon their arrival.
Four firefighters from Huddersfield wearing breathing apparatus were sent into the building and used hose reels to tackle the blaze.
Outside firefighters secured ladders to the window and managed to rescue the woman who was suffering from smoke inhalation and was taken to hospital.
Huddersfield Watch Commander Darren Bagley said: “We responded to a reports of six people trapped in a terrace house in Moorbottom Road.
“On arrival the house was well alight and a woman could be seen screaming for help from the first floor bedroom window.
“We secured a ladder to the outside of the building and firefighters tackled the fire inside.
“We searched the building and two males were found to be in the bedroom.
“Due to one of the men being disabled, we advised them to remain in the bedroom, with the door closed while we tackled the blaze.
“We had firefighters at the window reassuring them throughout what must have been a traumatic experience.
“This was a severe house fire. Once the area was safe the men were rescued from the house.
“We searched the property but no other persons were found, despite the woman insisting there was at least one more person in the house.
“It was very difficult conditions for crews and the house is severely damaged.”All three occupants were taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary by ambulance suffering from smoke inhalation.
Watch Commander Bagley added: “In my 30 years in the fire service, for the last 25 of them we have been urging residents to have smoke alarms fitted and test they are working routinely.
“I just cannot believe people still don’t have them - particularly in this instance where there is a disabled person living in the property.
“We will be returning to the area to offer fire prevention advice and free home safety checks.”
An investigation is underway into the fire but early indications show it began on the landing due to an electrical fault with a cable under the carpet.
