A couple who fled to safety from a burning house probably owe their lives to smoke detectors, a fire chief claims.

The alarms activated and woke a man and a woman sleeping in the semi-detached property in Hainworth Wood Road, Keighley .

They escaped as fire raged through a bedroom of the house.

Two appliances from Keighley Fire Station were called out to the incident, shortly before 7am today..

Firefighters, including two wearing breathing apparatus, used a hose reel to bring the blaze under control within minutes. The fire was restricted to the bedroom.

A fire service investigator and police also attended, but the cause of the blaze was not believed to be suspicious.

The couple were given a precautionary check-up by an ambulance crew.

Watch commander Chris Hannah, of Keighley fire service, said: “This incident shows the value of having working smoke detectors fitted in your home. In this case they probably saved the occupants’ lives.

“They give you a vital early warning to a fire and that can make all the difference, enabling you to evacuate safely.

“We would encourage anyone who doesn’t have detectors installed to contact the fire service immediately and get them fitted for free.”