DOORS and windows were thrown off their hinges after a bag of shopping exploded and caught fire at a house in Bacup.

Firefighters said the shopping had been left on an electric hob in the kitchen of a house in Anderson Close and the explosion had also blown a hole in a wall six foot away.

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Bacup Fire Station crew manager Andy Jones said there were more canisters in the bag which had failed to explode and it was lucky nobody had been seriously injured.

A fire service spokesman said there were two children and two adults in the house at the time of the explosion at around 4.45pm last night.

Mr Jones said: "Fortunately nobody was injured in this incident. They were very, very lucky. Had they been in the wrong place at the wrong time someone could have been seriously hurt.

"They were very lucky because there were a few other canisters in the bag which failed to explode, probably because they hadn't reached a high enough temperature. "

Two fire engines from Bacup Station were called out to the incident. When they arrived all occupants were safely out of the house and the fire had been extinguished.

Watch manager Chris Howarth said: "A small but powerful explosion had taken place due to an aerosol canister which was within the shopping bag. The explosion damaged the doors and windows within the property, blowing them off hinges. "A small amount of fire damage had occurred within the kitchen with light smoke damage to the remainder of the ground floor.

"Placing combustible items on top of the oven hobs has resulted in many fires. The fire service would urge people not to place such items on top of the hob just in case the hob is hot from previous cooking or, as in this case, the hob is turned on accidentally. Having a working smoke alarm in your property is essential to detect a fire in its early stages."