A man from Sheffield rescued a family of nine when a fire started in their home on Tuesday.

Craig Ball, who is the victims' next-door neighbour, was alerted by a knock on his door during the afternoon. After calling the fire brigade, he ushered the family, who were attempting to tackle the blaze, out of the house to safety.

Six adults and three children were caught in the blaze, which took firefighters about an hour to extinguish.

"I went into the house and found most of the family in the kitchen. Two of the men were trying to fight the flames using bowls of water," Mr Ball told the Sheffield

"But the fire was spreading and I told them to get out. There was too much smoke.

"Anyone would have done what I did. I'm just glad everyone was all right and there were no fatalities."

Two members of the family were taken to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

One way of preparing your home against the risk of fire is to install fire exit windows.

Click here for a selection of specialist windows and doors from Safestyle.

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Author:  Joanne McCabe