FOUR people were rescued from a house fire in St Helens in the early hours of Friday morning

Firefighters were alerted to a fire in a property on Truro Close, Laffak shortly before 1.45am.

Three fire engines were sent to the scene.

Crews found a fire in the kitchen of the property.

Firefighters quickly used a ladder to rescue four people from the rear bedroom window of a property. 

Crews then entered the property and used a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire.

All four people have been assessed at the scene by North West Ambulance Service but do not require hospital treatment. 

Station Manager Wayne Woods said: "Crews acted quickly to not only extinguish the fire but to also rescue four people who were still inside and unable to leave by themselves.

"Prior to our arrival, the family had been kept reassured during those first few minutes by our Fire Control Operators.

"They offered fire survival guidance and reassurance that help was indeed on the way.

"Once firefighters were in attendance, they were able to quickly locate the family thanks to the information provided by Fire Control and ensure they were brought to safety unharmed. 

"Whilst the actions of firefighters and Fire Control ultimately saved this family, the presence of working smoke alarms in the property was instrumental. Had they not given the family early warning to the fire, this incident could have had a very different ending.

"Smoke alarms save lives but they cannot do that if they are not working or not there in the first place.

"We would urge residents across Merseyside to treat this fire as a cautionary tale and to ensure they have at least one working smoke alarm on each level of their home. Consider installing additional smoke alarms in rooms with electrical items or sleeping areas - make sure to test your smoke alarms weekly."

An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.