A MAN whose dad died as he saved him from a house fire has been hailed a hero after he rescued his family and their pets from a bedroom blaze.

Adrian Limb, 32, dashed 100 yards to his sister Kahrol Rafferty’s home in Wren Street, Burnley, to put out the flames - 31 years after his own father died saving them from a blaze at their home in Helmshore.

He spent 10 minutes rescuing the family’s pets and doused the flames with pans of water before being taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

Ms Rafferty, 45, said: "He's a hero in my eyes."

Her son Brekin Lynch, nine, was also taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital after inhaling smoke but was later discharged.

Adrian's dad Geoffrey Limb died in September 1982, days after rescuing him, Kahrol and their cousin Bernadette from a fire in Devon Crescent, Helmshore.

He died after suffering 65 per cent burns and contracting septicemia.

Adrian, a roofer, of Dickson Street, Burnley, said he was alerted to the fire when his nephew Brady Lynch, 10, fled the house and started banging on his back door just before 9pm on Sunday night.

He said: “I was getting into bed and Brady came shouting and screaming at the back door saying there was a fire in his house.

“I just chucked my clothes on and sprinted over. I could see the flames and smoke coming from the bedroom window.

“Kahrol and Brekin were still in the house so I screamed for them to get out.

“I grabbed the rabbits from upstairs and came back down to get the parrots and the dog.

“I didn’t really stop to think. I just ran in and wanted to get everyone out. I suppose that’s the opposite of what you’re supposed to do.

“There was thick smoke eveywhere. Afterwards I sat down and realised what I’d done.”

He and his partner’s son, Curtis Rivers, 19, filled pots and pans in the kitchen with water before throwing it over the fire, extinguishing the flames before two crews arrived from Burnley station.

Adrian and Brekin received oxygen by fire service staff at the scene and spent three hours in hospital before being discharged.

Ms Rafferty, who moved into the house in November last year, said: “I’m very thankful for what Adrian did.

“He’s a hero in my eyes. He didn’t give a damn. He was totally black with smoke when he came out.”

Adrian admitted his late father’s bravery had possibly rubbed off on him.

He said: “I suppose in the back of my mind it’s always there and maybe that’s what spurred me on. He was only 29 when he died.

“He got us all out and saved us, then he walked into a fireball. He saved me by throwing me from the top window.”

The pets rescued by Adrian were two parrots, Fred and Shrek, a rabbit, Chloe, and two dogs, Bruno and Misfit.

Fire crews said the fire started when Brekin, a pupil at White Ash School in Oswaldtwistle, set fire to a toy car in his bedroom after messing around with a cigarette lighter.

It caused fire damage to the bedroom window, severe smoke damage to the bedtoom and moderate smoke damage to the rest of the first floor.

Neil Ashworth, watch manager at Burnley fire station, said: “We would just reiterate how important it is to keep smoking materials away from children.

“In this case the lighter had disappeared earlier in the day and so it is important to keep in mind that children may have taken things and that poses a danger.

“The property also did not have working smoke alarms, so it was only down to the child raising the alarm that nobody was hurt. All too often children who play with fire are too scared to get help, so this family were lucky he did. This could easily have been a fatality.”