A WOMAN suffered serious burns after her dress caught fire – the second such incident in just three days.

Neighbours described the horrific moment they fought to help the woman, who has been named locally as Sharon Ryan, as she desperately called for help.

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It is believed her dress caught fire as she attempted to blow out a candle at her house in Blasconay Square, Colne.

She was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital where her condition yesterday was described as ‘serious’ by police.

The incident, which is the second fire in a matter of days involving an open flame and loose clothing, has led to renewed safety warnings from fire chiefs.

Father-of-two Matthew Dutton, said he heard his 47-year-old neighbour desperately screaming for his girlfriend’s help at around 10.20pm on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old said: “I’d just come back from the shop and I went to do my son’s bottle.

“I heard some frantic shouting from next door.

“I ran in to the front room and grabbed my missus and asked her to go in the kitchen and see what she could hear.

“We heard Sharon shouting, ‘help Lydia. I’m burning’.

“I ran outside and looked through the window and saw these huge flames.

“I ran to my friend Mark’s house and grabbed him and we tried to kick the door down. She had it double-bolted so it took several minutes for us to kick it in.

“When I got in the house there was thick smoke so I put my head down, covered my mouth and just ran to the kitchen.

“It’s a similar layout to my house so I just went on instinct.

“I grabbed her hand and led her out.

“She was completely naked. There was just a bit of material left on her left shoulder. Her hair was on fire and she was full of burns.

“It was like a scene from a horror movie.

“I didn’t sleep at all last night. I just stayed up all night with my son.”

As Mr Dutton pulled Miss Ryan from the house his friend Mark Gill, 23, extinguished the fire.

Mr Gill said: “I didn’t think of my own safety. It was just instinct.

“One of my neighbour’s was in trouble and I went to help.

“There was no way I was going to leave her in there.

“We’re a community on this street and we look out for each other.

“I hope if I were in trouble other people would help.

“It’s lucky we got to her when we did because 10 more minutes and the fire would have reached the curtains.

“If that had happened there would have been no way we could have got in through the front door. I just hope she’s okay.”

After Miss Ryan fled the house she was taken into Mr Dutton’s house where she received oxygen from firefighters until paramedics arrived. She was then treated for two hours before being transferred to hospital.

The fire comes just three days after an 11-year-old was left with ‘life changing’ injuries after suffering serious burns when her dress caught fire while she was playing near to a gas fire at her auntie’s house in Castle Street, Brierfield.

That incident also led to renewed safety calls by fire chiefs as it echoes a similar accident in Barrowford which led to the death of a pensioner.

An inquest last week heard how 76-year-old Said Begum died after her scarf caught fire when she was attempting to warm herself next to an open fire on January 15.

A fire service spokesman said: “When you hear about something like this it is just so shocking.

“It is a long-standing issue and it is even more distressing when it happens just a week after the warnings were issued in the wake of Said Begum’s inquest.”

Miss Ryan’s house suffered severe fire and smoke damage.

Miss Ryan’s friend Mark Bradshaw posted on Facebook: “Please say a prayer for my dearest friend Sharon who is critically ill on a life support following a fire at her home in Colne last night, I am absolutely devastated.”

A police spokesman said: “We are looking at what started the fire but it is not being treated as suspicious.”