A FARNWORTH family have spoken of their terror after they were forced to flee their home in the middle of the night when a tumble dryer burst into flames.

David and Bev Beaver and their two sons were fast asleep at their home in Sandpiper Close when they were awoken by a ‘loud bang’ at 2am this morning.

At first, Mr Beaver said he thought the house was being broken into, but when he ran downstairs he was faced with a cloud of thick black smoke.

He managed to evacuate his wife, sons and the family’s Labrador, before also alerting neighbours.

Mr Beaver explained: “It was terrifying. The house was full of thick black smoke.

“I shouted upstairs and managed to get my family out.

“My wife banged on next door and told them to get out, which they did.”

Firefighters arrived minutes later and tackled the blaze, which had started in the kitchen and spread to the rest of the property.

The fire has left the kitchen severely damaged, including a number of other appliances.

Meanwhile, the rest of the house has sustained smoke damage.

An investigation has now been launched to determine how the blaze started.

Speaking this morning, Mr Beaver hailed the firefighters’ response as ‘excellent’ and expressed his shock at what had happened.

“The tumble dryer is new,” he said. “We only bought it on January 5 and it was not even on at the time of the fire.

“If I had not heard the bang from the window smashing, we would have died. 

“The firefighters said we did the right thing and it was lucky that no one had been killed because there was thick black smoke billowing throughout the house.

“I’m feeling a bit shaken this morning. I do not know if we will be allowed to stay here because the house is an absolute mess.

“You see this stuff in the papers, but you do not think it will ever happen to you.”

Paul Harrison, watch manager at Farnworth fire station told the Bolton News that the tumble dryer was completely destroyed in the blaze.

The fire service has since issued a safety warning, urging residents to switch off electrical appliances when they are asleep or not on the premises.

They also urged residents to ensure they have working fire alarms fitted in their homes

“Our advice is never to leave anything on when you leave the house or go to bed”, Mr Harrison said.