A HOUSE has been badly damaged by a severe blaze.

A couple in their 60s were woken at their home on Woodhouse Avenue in Fartown by banging and popping sounds at 1am today.

The man went downstairs to investigate.

But he was met with a wall of black smoke when he opened a door to investigate.

He swiftly closed the door which confined the fire to the kitchen and escaped outside with his wife.

The fire had started in a storage cupboard under the stairs and spread through a thin door into the kitchen.

Crew manager Dave Chadwick, of Huddersfield fire station, said: "It was a very severe fire which has left the kitchen damaged by fire, smoke and heat.

"The man did exactly the right thing by closing the door which confined the fire to the kitchen and limited smoke damage to the rest of the house."

The fire damaged the home's electrical distribution board. Engineers disconnected the power supply.

The cause is under investigation.

A specialist Red Cross support vehicle assisted the couple.