A MOTHER and her three children were rescued by firefighters after being trapped upstairs in their home.

The fire was sparked by a faulty adaptor in the utility room, at 6pm yesterday.

The mother had been putting her children, aged three years, two years and nine months, to bed at their home in Charnwood Close, Beardwood, Blackburn.

She discovered the fire when she left the bedroom to go downstairs.

She called firefighters, who told her to go back into the bedroom, close the door and not attempt to escape.

An operator kept the woman on the phone while a fire crew took four minutes to reach the scene. On arrival, a firefighter up a ladder to calm the family.

The rest of the team tackled the blaze through the front door then used fans to diffuse thick, black smoke.

The family suffered smoke inhalation but did not need medical attention.

Station Officer Aidan Fortune said if the home had been fitted with a smoke alarm the family would have been aware of the fire much earlier.

He said: "This incident highlights the importance of having a smoke alarm to give an early warning and making a plan in case you do have a fire.

"This family was very lucky. It could have been a very different result."