A YOUNG mum said she can’t believe her daughter is alive after a blaze started in the bathroom while the baby slept next door.

Aimee Breckell, 21, of Allan Critchlow Way, Rishton, said she can’t bear to think what could have happened to one-year-old daughter Grace if she hadn’t heard the smoke alarm.

The fire started at 7.45pm on Sunday while Aimee was watching TV with Grace’s dad Paul Cardwell, who doesn’t live at the house.

It is thought an electrical fault in the shower unit was to blame for the incident.

Aimee said: "I could hear a smoke alarm and I asked Paul if it was ours. We looked upstairs and could see all the flames coming out of the bathroom door.

"Paul ran upstairs to get Grace. Her bedroom is next to the bathroom so she was literally dragged out of bed.

"I can’t really remember everything now; it’s all a bit of a blur."

Grace was taken to a neighbour while the Fire Brigade checked the house was safe.

Paul managed to isolate the electricity supply and the flames had already been extinguished when the fire crew arrived.

Firefighters went to check on Grace to see if she was all right and even fitted smoke alarms in two houses before they left.

Aimee added: "I have been thinking ever since that if the alarm hadn’t gone off Aimee might not be here now.

"The Fire Brigade was brilliant. They got to the house really quickly.

"I would definitely tell everyone to get a smoke alarm. They are so important. I couldn’t feel the heat or smell the smoke even though it was burning upstairs."

The shower unit was badly damaged as a result of the fire but Aimee, Paul and Grace suffered no injuries.

Watch manager Phil Whittaker from Hyndburn Fire Station said: "It is vital that all homes are fitted with smoke alarms and this incident has proved just how important they are.

"The fire service fits around 40,000 smoke alarms across Lancashire each year and countless lives have been saved thanks to a detector alerting people to the flames."

For a free home safety fire check ring 0800 169 1125.