AN EAGLE-EYED neighbour helped save a family and their pets from a fire raging through their home.
Tony and Sharon Lee and son Adam Hird were eating their dinner on Saturday night oblivious to the blaze when Keith Allison hammered on the door and sh
outed at them to get out of the house.
They ran upstairs to investigate and tried to tackle the flames but quickly realised that the inferno was beyond their control.
Fierce fire that started in a bedroom destroyed the first floor and roof of the end terrace house in Eversley Mount at Sherburn.
Mr Allison, a 46-year-old labourer, whose own home narrowly escaped damage, said: "I was getting ready to go out when I realised I'd left my jacket in the car. I was coming back with it and saw a flicker in their upstairs window, then I saw flames. The window frame melted and then smashed. I thought 'I don't believe this'.
"I ran to the door, brayed on it and said 'your house is on fire'. They had a look, grabbed the dog and ran out.
"It's a good thing I went out for my jacket, otherwise I'd have gone out through the back door and not seen it. I probably wouldn't have a home to come back to."
The family, now staying with friends, could be out of their home for weeks. They were unavailable for comment at the time of going to print.
Tadcaster and Selby fire crews were called to the 7pm incident. Said firefighter Rob Bartlett: "We could see smoke from several miles away. A lot of people had gathered in front of the house and we could see flames coming from an upstairs room and the roof.
"The woman was concerned about her four goldfish, so we went in and rescued them from the kitchen. They were all right, still swimming away!"
In total, 15 firefighters used hoses to fight flames from outside and then a team wearing breathing apparatus went into the property. It took almost three hours to extinguish the blaze.
Firefighter Bartlett said: "The first floor and roof were severely fire and smoke damaged and the rest of the house was extensively damaged. We checked next door but the fire hadn't spread.
"The important thing is that no one was hurt. There was a smoke detector in the house but it was fitted in the wrong place. It was downstairs. If the fire had started in the middle of the night, things could have been different and they might not have woken up."
The cause of the fire, believed to be electrical, is still being investigated by officers.
Tadcaster Fire and Rescue Service is offering to fit £10 smoke detectors in homes in Sherburn and South Milford area. They are free to council house tenants and people on benefits. Call 01937 832223 for details.
