FIREFIGHTERS in Pendle have warned about the dangers of using candles after a Nelson teenager had a lucky escape from a bedroom blaze.

Leoni Reynolds, 15, managed to get out of the attic bedroom past the fire and wake her family. No one was injured but Sub Officer Tom Simpson said it could have been more serious.

Nelson firefighters arrived at the house in Albert Street at 4.38am today to find it heavily smokelogged and the family already outside.

The comtained the fire in the attic, which was severely damaged.

Mr Simpson said: "She had lit a candle in her bedroom instead of having her light on so that it didn't disturb her little sister. The teenager thought she had blown it out when she went to bed but it had still been burning.

"It was not stood on anything except the bedroom cabinet and when it melted down it set fire to the cabinet and then her bed.

"Luckily the heat from the fire actually woke her up before it reached her and she got out and managed to wake up the others in the house, which were her mother and a baby. They got out and called us out.

"We urge people, especially coming up to the festive period, to be aware of the dangers of a naked flame and preferably not use candles at all. This girl was very lucky."

Leoni's cabinet and her bed, which was inches away from the fire, were destroyed along with CSE coursework, clothes and other personal belongings.

She said: "I went to bed at about 1.30am and put the candle on for about ten minutes. I blew it out before I went to bed but it must not have gone out properly.

"I woke up with the fire right next to my face. It was a shock.

"I ran out and downstairs for my mum. I had an idea it must have been the candle but when the police asked me about the fire I didn't say anything at first because I didn't want to upset my mum. I don't use candles all the time, it was just a one off."

Her mum Katrina Trickett said: "Leoni came running in and told me so I ran up with a towel because I didn't expect it to be so bad.

"I have two other little ones, who are one and two years old, and when I saw it I just told her to get out and get the others out too.

"She was so lucky. If there had been a door on her bedroom she wouldn't have stood a chance because the smoke was so heavy.

"She had been told not to have any candles up there. I didn't even know she had one until this."

It is the second fire this year that the family have been involved with after Katrina's husband Andy helped drag a man from a burning house in Every Street.

Andy said: "They say things come in threes. I didn't expect our house to be number two."