Theresa Whittaker (35) of Brooks Road, Barrow Hill, was at the bus stop with son Nathan (17) on nearby Station Road when her friend Dot Hough raised the alarm just after 9am, last Thursday.

Mrs Whittaker said: "She came out of her house near the bus stop and I just ran to my home and I didn't even dare look.

"I just opened the back door because I wanted to get the dogs, Sooty and Sweep, out. If my friend hadn't told us I dread to think what might have happened."

Derbyshire fire service said the blaze appeared to have started in an upstairs bedroom and spread into the roof space and an adjoining bedroom.

But crews from Chesterfield and Staveley armed with breathing apparatus and hose reel jets extinguished the blaze after forcing their way in through a window.

A fire spokesman said the fire had caused tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage and is thought to have been caused by an electrical fault.

Station officer Steve Helps, of Chesterfield, said: "This was a significant fire and the property was sensibly fitted with smoke alarms which would have alerted any occupants but fortunately everyone was out.

"The damage was extensive and Nottinghamshire fire service's victim support were called in to help the family deal with the situation."

Mrs Whittaker's husband Neil (37) said he was relieved the family's terriers and birds were rescued especially because Sweep is expecting puppies.


READ MORE
Main news index
Letters
Local sport
Music and gig scene