A Bradford man was today hailed a hero after breaking into a burning flat to help save a trapped mother and her youngsters.

Gerard Craven heard shouts coming from a neighbouring flat in Arkendale Mews, Horton Bank Top, and smashed the door down.

Another neighbour dialled 999 while father-of-three Mr Craven poured buckets of water on a burning settee which was believed to have been started by one of the children playing with matches at about 6.45am yesterday.

Michelle Houston, pictured with Mr Craven, today said she owed her life - and the lives of 18-month-old daughter Siobhan and son Ryan, three - to him and her neighbours.

"I'm so grateful that Ged and everyone else put themselves out for us," said the 28-year-old.

A neighbour, known only as Tony, helped smash the door down.

And another neighbour, Angie Docherty, filled buckets of water to put out the burning chair.

Mrs Houston was also minding her young niece Lindsay at the rented third-floor flat when the fire started.

"I took the children into the back bedroom and called for help out of the window. I really didn't think we'd get out alive," she said.

Mr Craven, 45, said he did what anyone else would have done.

"All I could think of was that there were children trapped in there and I had to help them," said the retired mechanic who lives on the floor below.

He added: "I could hear Michelle shouting and once the door was knocked down I ran in with a wet towel over my head and mouth to try to get to them.

"The smoke was really overpowering and it was very dark. I couldn't see anything and once the shouting stopped I feared the worse."

Odsal firefighters used a ladder to rescue the family from the bedroom window.

Husband Henry Houston said he had just arrived at work when a neighbour rang him to tell him about the blaze.

"The main thing is my family is safe. Possessions can be replaced but you can't replace lives," said the 32-year-old.

Today Odsal fire station officer Glen Brown said if it had not been for Mr Craven's initiative the fire could have been a lot worse.

"He used his common sense and despite the huge amount of smoke he broke into the flat and he stopped the fire from being a lot worse by pouring water on the burning settee which was giving off black toxic fumes," he said.

"By the time we got there the worst of the fire had been put out."

Station Officer Brown said the fire should be a warning to people to keep matches and lighters out of reach from children - and urged people to fit smoke detectors.

"It appears that one of the children got up early and was playing with matches or a lighter in the lounge and set fire to the chair," he said.

"The woman took all three children into one of the bedrooms, closed the door and stuffed blankets around the door to help prevent smoke from entering," he said.

The family was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary after suffering from smoke inhalation and discharged.

Two crews from Bradford and two from Odsal were called to the fire.