Firefighters were called to a house fire in Rotherham in the early hours of Thursday after a neighbour spotted flames coming out of the kitchen and dialled 999.

There were no smoke alarms fitted inside the property, on Broom Terrace, Wellgate, but the three occupants - a male and two females - all escaped unharmed.

Green watch crews from Rotherham and Darnall were called at around 1.50am and were quickly on the scene, putting out the fire in the kitchen and venitlating the rest of the house, which was smoke logged.

The incident started after a hob was left on, causing a cooking pan to catch fire. As the blaze spread through the kitchen, glass in the windows and doors shattered due to the heat.

A fire service spokesperson said: "This family was very lucky not to be hurt in this fire. We will be returning to the house this morning to carry out a Home Safety Check and fit free smoke alarms. Smoke alarms save lives by giving people vital extra seconds to escape the toxic smoke caused by fires."