The residents of a home in Huntingdon are “lucky to be alive” after escaping a blaze in the early hours of Saturday morning (May 7).

Firefighters from Huntingdon, Papworth and Sawtry were called to a house fire in Sapley Park, Oxmoor, at about 1.15am.

Watch Commander Trevor Lindsay said: “The crews were faced with a rapidly developing house fire on the first floor. The first floor windows to the side and rear of the house had fallen out and flames were coming out of the windows affecting the roof line of the house.”

All occupants were safely out of the property, however, an ambulance was called to treat three people for smoke inhalation.

The fire had taken hold in a bedroom and positive pressure ventilation fans were used to help clear the smoke. Crews continued to dampen down the property and affected areas.

WC Lindsay added: “The crews worked extremely hard and quickly took control of the fire and we were very proud when local residents thanks us for our quick response and actions at this incident.”

All crews returned to their stations by 4am.

A full fire investigation determined the cause of the fire to be accidental, by a candle coming into contact with soft furnishings in the bedroom.

WC Lindsay said: “On this occasion, the residents of this property are lucky to have escaped alive from a very serious fire. The moral here is to remember to keep safety at the forefront of your mind when lighting candles in your household and always make sure you have a working smoke alarm on each floor of your property.

“Never leave candles unattended and if you think you may fall asleep then make sure they are properly extinguished. Don’t forget, always place candles in a suitable holder on a flat even surface well away from bedding, cushions and curtains.”