A MOTHER and her two children escaped from a house fire unscathed thanks to the early warning from a smoke detector.

The blaze at a house in Doncaster Crescent on Stockton's Ragworth estate is being investigated, but firefighters said "smoking materials" were strongly suspected to have been the cause.

Wednesday night's fire started in the bedroom of the mother, who is a smoker.

Fire station officer Ian Dunning said: "It was such a severe fire, we had to take up the floorboards because it had burned through them. The whole of the upstairs of the house was severely smoke logged and fire damaged.

"The family were alerted by a smoke alarm, which we had fitted when carrying out a home fire safety check, two years ago.''

Mr Dunning added: "It gave the family between five and ten minutes advance warning of the fire and gave us an early opportunity to fight the fire. It would have been a more severe fire if a smoke alarm had not been installed.

"A smoke alarm means we can get to a fire earlier and when there is less danger. Smoke alarms are winners all round."

Seventy five per cent of the bedroom was affected by heat and 25 per cent by smoke. There was severe smoke damage to the rest of the house and damage to ceilings due to water and firefighters' cutting operations.

The family has been rehoused by Stockton Borough Council.