A EIGHT-year-old girl has been praised for raising the alarm after fire broke out in her grandparents’ home.

Cutteslowe Primary School pupil Courteney Carroll and her sister Phoebe, five, were staying at the house in Bayswater Road, Barton, Oxford, on Saturday evening.

Father Peter Mundy arrived to pick them up around 7.30pm and Courteney decided to use the upstairs bathroom before leaving. She said: “When I came out of the bathroom, I saw smoke coming out of one of the other bedroom doors.

“Then I heard a sort of ‘boof’ sound, as the curtains went up, so I ran downstairs to tell my dad, grandad and nanny.

“I feel quite happy because it is over and I am proud as well for warning everyone.”

Grandmother Tracy Carroll, who had been outside with husband Alan when it happened, described her as a “little star”.

She said: “We heard her scream, which scared me, then she came down and said ‘Nanny, you’ve got a fire’.”

Moments later, the smoke alarm went off, and Mr Carroll and Mr Mundy went upstairs to tackle the blaze, dousing it in water from the bathroom.

Firefighters using breathing apparatus put out the fire and treated Courteney for smoke inhalation and Mrs Carroll for shock.

They said a faulty mobile phone charger had been left in an overloaded plug socket, starting the blaze before it spread to the carpet and curtains, leaving the room and window frame smoke-blackened.

Watch manager Alan Mcfadyen said: “I cannot stress enough the importance of not overloading plug sockets. Always unplug items that are not being used and where possible turn plug sockets off to prevent appliances overheating.”

An Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service spokesman last night praised Courteney for her quick thinking.

Mrs Carroll, 53, said the incident had come as a big shock.

She said: “I keep thinking that if Courteney hadn’t gone up when she did, she would have gone home and it would have been a lot worse.”

She praised the swift response of the fire service, and neighbours who looked after Courteney, Phoebe and her Jack Russell Midget while the blaze was brought under control.

The couple live in a rented home owned by Oxford City Council, where they have been for 25 years.

They hoped council insurance would cover the damage.

fbardsley@oxfordmail.co.uk