A Family from Bromyard had to escape from a first-floor window while flames engulfed their house.

Choking on thick smoke, the Hill family tore metal security bars from a bedroom window and slid down a sloping roof to safety.

Carole and Keith Hill and their children Phillipa, 14, and Julian, 16, were woken at 1am on Monday as fire took hold in their Rowden Road home.

"I heard Phillipa screaming and thought she was having nightmares," said Mrs Hill. "Then I looked down stairs and saw all the smoke.

"I ran to Julian's bedroom but there are bars at the window, so we had to pull them down.

"We were choking on the hot smoke, but you get strength when in a situation like that."

The family could only watch as Bromyard firefighters battled the blaze.

Mr Hill, who is recovering from heart surgery, usually sleeps downstairs, but made an exception that night.

"I dread to think what would have happened if he was downstairs, he'd have inhaled all the fumes and has trouble breathing anyway," said Mrs Hill.

"God must have been looking down on us that night."

The fire, started by an electrical fault, blew out the windows in the living room and caused severe smoke damage throughout the house.

The family are staying in a caravan in the garden while repairs are carried out. The fire brigade have supplied two smoke alarms to replace one that did not go off.

"You can always replace belongings but you can't replace life," said Mrs Hill.

"We're very lucky that we're all alright."

She praised firefighters and staff from restoration company Rainbow International for their swift and considerate action.