A lucky couple have told how they were plucked from their burning home with moments to spare.
Jonathan Barham, 24, and his wife Linda, 58, of Harcourt Avenue, Dovercourt, were woken by their smoke alarm.
Mr Barham opened the bedroom door to be met by a wall of smoke.
He said: "There was no way we could make it out."
Unable to force open the window, the couple were trapped.
"As smoke started pouring beneath the door, my wife began screaming that she needed to phone her children to say goodbye."
After phoning the fire brigade, the couple sat tight. Fire service controllers advised them to move close to the window to get as much air as possible.
Mr Barham said: "Suddenly we heard the door being battered down and moments later two firemen with breathing apparatus opened the door.
"They were incredibly calm, led us downstairs and out of the house, they were absolutely brilliant."
- More in today's Gazette
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