Police have issued a witness appeal following the fire last Sunday morning at a Cornholme home.
A woman and two children managed to escape injury as smoke and flames rose through their home after being alerted by a smoke detector which may have saved their lives.
Fire crews attended the Cornholme home in the early hours of last Sunday morning, November 16.
Crews from Todmorden and Burnley were called to the fire in a terraced house at Station Road, Cornholme, at 3.46am.
When crews arrived, flames and smoke were billowing from the property and 100 per cent of the ground floor was involved in the fire.
The woman and two young children were in the property at the time, but were alerted to the danger by a smoke detector and managed to escape from the house without injury.
Firefighters used two breathing apparatus, one hose reel and a positive pressure ventilation fan at the incident and were able to minimise fire damage to the ground floor of the property. The first floor and loft of the house have been left smoke damaged.
The fire did not spread any further than the house but smoke had spread to neighbouring properties and was cleared by fire crews - two adults received a precautionary check for smoke inhalation, but did not go to hospital.
Crews left at 8.30am and later returned to clear debris while the cause of the fire was being investigated.
Police are appealing for witnesses who may have seen anything - the house is set near to the roadside on Burnley Road.
PC James Hemmingway of Calderdale CID, said: “This incident could have been far more serious and we could have been dealing with fatalities if it wasn’t for the house having smoke alarms which alerted the occupants.
“I would appeal directly to anyone who has information about this incident to contact police and particularly to any passing traffic at the time. If you saw anything suspicious or out of the ordinary please call police on 101.”
Dom Furby, station commander for Todmorden, Illingworth and Mytholmroyd, said: “This incident demonstrates how vital it is to have a working smoke alarm on every level of your home. It could have been far worse had the smoke alarm not alerted the occupants.”
To book a free Home Fire Safety Check where you live visit our website www.westyorksfire.gov.uk or call 0800 587 4536.