A FAMILY home was left 'ruined' after a serious fire broke out in a house in Accrington.

Fire crews were called to the blaze at a terraced house in Bold Street just before 3pm.

Residents living either side of the property had to be evacuated by firefighters.

The fire service were called after a neighbour smelt smoke and realised it was coming from next door.

Bold Street and Wellington Street were closed for several hours while the firefighters put out the fire and investigated the cause.

Rachel Smith, 28, lives at the property with her two children, and was out at the time picking up her son.

She said: "We've been told it's ruined.

"We don't know what to do next.

"We're just waiting for the fire service to make it safe and tell us what to do.

"I'd been out all afternoon. I just came back from picking the kids up. I'm just in shock."

Neighbour Naomi Jones, was evacuated with her partner and three children.

She said: "The first thing I knew about it was when my neighbour came banging on the door.

"They just said to get out because there was this fire. You can imagine the panic."

Garry Drinkwater, watch manager for Hyndburn Fire station, said he thought the fire was started accidentally.

He said: "When we arrived there was smoke coming from the roof.

"There was a serious fire that had already been going for some time.

"We had to break in through the front door to gain access to the property.

"The fire was between the ceiling and the floor at the top of the landing area. There's been a lot of damaged.

"We think the fire started because of an electrical fault."

The urban search and rescue team were also called out to secure the floors and ceiling and to enable the fire crews to go back into the property.

A member of staff at Castle Garages nearby said it was lucky no one was hurt.

He said: "We just thought it was a small fire at first, then we came out and saw all this.

"It was going on for hours all afternoon.

"There was just so much smoke coming out of the window.

"It's been really bad for our business. Luckily nobody was in the home, but the whole area is just shut off."