A FAMILY has spoken about their "lucky escape" after fleeing their terraced home when a blaze was sparked by a faulty tumble dryer.

Mum-of-four Michelle Johannsen, 46, had left the appliance on to dry her last load of washing whilst the family went to bed.

She was woken by the sound of her smoke alarm and engulfed by heavy black smoke when she opened her bedroom door.

Michelle and her partner, Shaun Dunn, 37, rushed to the children's bedroom where she found Leah, 11, Lois, 5, Rhys, 4, and two-year-old Sian, struggling to breath and panicking.

The couple covered the children in bedclothes, shielding their eyes and mouths, and ran down the stairs of the three-bedroomed house and into the street at around 10.45pm last night.

Michelle, of Hardman Avenue, Rawtenstall, said: "I opened the door and there was smoke everywhere and I just kept thinking I've got four little ones in here.

“There were clouds of smoke and we couldn't see anything and I started panicking at first but then I just thought we've got to get out.

"We put quilts over the kids heads so they didn't breathe in all the smoke and got them in the car outside.

“The little ones were traumatised. It was really scary and we are so lucky because it could have been a very different story if our alarms had not been working."

After getting the children to safety Michelle went back into the house to save her pets, two rabbits called Peter and Lola, and Millie, a Cocker Spaniel dog.

She said: "I couldn't bear the thought of leaving them in their so I ran back in and managed to put black bags over their cages and get them out into the yard. It was really scary."

Firefighters believe the fire began when a fluff build-up in the tumble dryer caught fire because of the heat produced by the machine.

And they warned people to ensure that tumble dryers were not left on when people go out or even to bed.

Michelle said: "I have definitely learnt a lesson. I will never leave the tumble dryer or the washing machine on when I go out or go to bed ever again because it is really dangerous.”

In February 2004, three young sisters perished when a fire cause by an unattended tumble dryer raged through their Hapton home.

Watch Manager, Tony Spencer, said: "People should not be using domestic appliances and leaving them on when they go to bed.

"The repercussions of this fire could have been horrific because they were all asleep at the time.”