FIRE chiefs have urged residents to fit smoke detectors after a family had a narrow escape from a blaze.

An 18-year-old man awoke to find the lounge ablaze after falling asleep in front of an over-loaded open fire in Tadmarton Road, Bloxham, near Banbury.

He led his three siblings, who were asleep upstairs, to safety and called the fire brigade, at about midnight on Thursday.

He then went back into the house to fight the fire and suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation. The house was heavily damaged by smoke.

The fire has prompted fire chiefs to warn householders after no smoke detectors were found in the property, owned by Charter Housing. The family have been re-homed.

Incident commander station manager Marcus Reay said: “The fire was intence enough to make the plaster come off the walls.

“The overloaded open fire had spilled out to nearby magazines and also set fire to a book case.”

He added: “You’re twice as likely to die in a fire if you don’t have working smoke alarms.”