A nine-year-old child has been questioned by detectives investigating a house fire which almost claimed the lives of a young Shipley family.

The family faces a bleak Christmas after the blaze - which police believe could have been started deliberately - destroyed most of their possessions, including the two youngsters' Christmas presents.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been interviewed by officers in relation to the fire at Wood End Crescent, Windhill, Shipley, last Thursday night.

Julia Abbey and her two children, Bethany, six, and Ben, four, pictured, are staying with friends as Bradford Council tries to find them a new home in the district.

They were only able to escape the blazing two-storey flat, above a video shop, when firefighters plucked them to safety.

Mrs Abbey, 24, said the only possessions the family had left were the clothes they were wearing when they escaped.

She said: "I haven't been able to cry yet because I am still in shock over what has happened. I have been putting aside £20 a week since the summer to make this a great Christmas for the children but now that is all ruined."

Mrs Abbey said the two children, both pupils at Windhill C of E Primary, had been in bed when she heard a "whoosh" from the bottom of the indoor stairs leading up to the flat. She knew the family was trapped when she looked into the hall and realised the exit was blocked by flames.

"I just panicked, I thought we were going to die," she said.

"We went to the bedroom and put a mattress against the door but the smoke was so thick it just kept coming through."

Firefighters arrived on the scene within three minutes and were able to rescue the children by erecting a ladder to the bedroom window. But Mrs Abbey was too afraid to climb down and had to be escorted through the smoke-filled building. All three were taken to hospital but later released.

Mrs Abbey, who was not insured, is now unable to get into the flat to discover if anything can be salvaged.

"It is completely gutted. What the fire hasn't destroyed the smoke probably will have. We have lost all our clothes, Christmas presents and all my pictures of them growing up. You cannot replace things like that," she said.

Initial investigations showed the blaze had been started deliberately.

Detective Sergeant Steve Windle, of Keighley CID said: "I can confirm that a juvenile has been questioned and released in connection with the incident.