Two teenagers have been arrested following a series of arson attacks in Bradford over the last three days.

Four house fires and a car fire happened within a short distance of each other in and near to Holme Wood and are all being treated as suspicious.

A 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy have both been arrested on suspicion of arson.

In the first incident, a mother and two children were pulled out of a window to safety by passing police officers as flames and smoke swept through their Heysham Drive home just after 3am on Saturday.

In the second, a 78-year-old man was rescued from his burning house by neighbours and firemen just after 1am yesterday.

Neighbours named the pensioner as Bill McHale who has lived in Moorcroft Drive for more than 40 years.

The widower was asleep in his bedroom when the blaze broke out on the ground floor of his home, off Tong Street.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, described being woken by a noise and looked out to see flames in the skylight above Mr McHale’s front door.

“I ran out shouting, banging on doors. We got a ladder and when we went to the back of the house saw Bill standing up on his windowsill hanging out.

“I footed the ladder and our other neighbour went up, someone handed him a brick and he put the window through. He had to pull a curtain down to wrap round poor old Bill, he had nothing on.”

Another neighbour said: “Bill wouldn’t have any enemies. He’s a good man.

“We don’t know why anyone would do such a terrible thing to someone as harmless as him. He walks up and down every day with his little dog and goes to church at the weekends.”

Lulu the Scottie dog was also saved from the blaze and is being cared for by a neighbour.

Mr McHale was taken by ambulance to Bradford Royal Infirmary suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation.

About 15 minutes later, firemen were called to another fire at an elderly person’s bungalow in nearby Leamside Walk.

A woman suffered from smoke inhalation during the incident at about 1.23am.

Another blaze broke out at about 3.15am just one street away in Wansford Close, Holme Wood. A Fiat car parked on a driveway was badly damaged during the blaze.

With crews in Bradford already busy, firemen from Batley were called to tackle the car fire.

Minutes later another house fire broke out at Patefield House, Kesteven Road. A family, including children, discovered the fire, which was started at the back of their flat, and raised the alarm.

They suffered shock and the effects of breathing in smoke, but were not badly hurt.

Chris Linley, watch manager at Odsal fire station, praised the quick actions of the neighbours who helped to rescue the elderly man in Moorcroft Drive.

He said: “The neighbours did a really good job by putting a ladder up to his window and getting the double glazing out.

“We took over the rescue but they had already smashed his window.”

Det Insp Ian Bryar, of West Yorkshire Police's Homicide and Major Enquiries Team, who is appealing for witnesses, said: “We’re investigating the possibility that all the fires may be linked.”

He said: "These are serious crimes that we are investigating. We are very lucky not to be dealing with serious injuries or even death as a result of the arson attacks.

"I am appealing to anyone who witnessed any of the fires or who has any information about them to get in touch."

Witnesses should call Detective Inspector Ian Bryar at Bradford South CID via 0845 60 60 606 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.