A FAMILY had a lucky escape after a faulty hairdryer is thought to have caught fire in the early hours of this morning.

Firefighters were called to the house fire in Ontario Close, Blackburn, at about 1am.

The family managed to escape as they had working smoke alarms fitted which activated and woke them up.

Initial investigations by the fire service point to a faulty hairdryer overheating and setting alight.

The fire was confined to a first floor bedroom, with smoke damage throughout the property.

Two crews from Blackburn used breathing apparatus to put out the fire with a hose reel and a ventilation unit was used to clear the smoke.

The blaze has prompted the fire service to warn of the potential dangers of electrical devices.

An eyewitness described seeing 'thick black smoke' billowing from the house.

The eyewitness said: "We saw a fire in the bedroom of the house.

"There was thick black smoke billowing from the house.

"My husband and son went to the house to see what we could do to help.

"It was 3am in the morning and we saw two fire engines."

Another eyewitness said: "It was late at night and I saw a lot of smoke coming from the house.

"I was told by the fire crews to stay away from the house.

Another resident said: "I don't know anything about the fire but we received a notice through the post saying there had been a fire."

A fire service spokesman said: "Please ensure all electrical devices are unplugged when not in use.

"Smoke alarms save lives.

"You are more than twice as likely to die in a fire at home if you haven’t got a working smoke alarm.

"They give you an early warning to a fire, giving you and your family precious time to escape."