FIRE chiefs warned today of the dangers of leaving burning candles unattended after a mum and toddler narrowly escaped death in a house fire.

Fire crews were called to Fern Street in Colne at about 11.30pm yesterday after a blaze broke out in the upstairs bathroom.

Two people, a 20-year-old woman, who has not been named and her four year-old daughter Phoebe Francis Pearson, escaped from the house and called the fire brigade.

They were both taken to Burnley General Hospital where they were treated for the effects of breathing in smoke but were otherwise unharmed.

Station Officer Richard Taylor, of Colne Fire Brigade, said today the fire could have been much worse.

He warned of the dangers of leaving burning candles and emphasised the importance of working smoke alarms.

There was no smoke alarm in the house.

Mr Taylor said: "These people were very lucky indeed. It was only because the little girl woke up by chance that they discovered the fire and were able to escape. This could quite easily have become a fatal fire. They probably don't realise how close it was.

"People should never leave burning candles unattended even for a moment. This just shows how dangerous and potentially life threatening that can be."