A MOTHER and three children saved from a burning house yesterday said thanks to their rescuers.

Charmaine Partlett, 25, and three of her children Travis, seven, Mimi, three, and Skye, two, were rescued by firefighters from the blaze at their three-storey house in Lyndworth Mews, Headington, on Sunday morning.

Miss Partlett was screaming for help from her top floor window that she could not find three of her children but the team of firefighters located them within a few minutes. All four were uninjured apart from suffering some smoke inhalation.

But the family has lost all its possessions in the fire and has been put into emergency accommodation.

Yesterday, they met station manager David Heycock, who was in charge of the rescue, outside their home.

He spent several minutes with them as he carried Skye and Mimi about and gave Travis his helmet to wear.

All the children shook his hand, while Miss Partlett thanked him for the firefighters' rescue.

Miss Partlett said: "We were just a couple of minutes from it being a lot worse.

"I've lost lots of possessions, the kids' clothes and toys, but I can replace them.

"The kids got out somehow without a scratch on their heads and I could never replace them.

"I'm just thankful they are all alive. The firemen kept coming back in and taking my kids out. It was unbelievably brave."

Miss Partlett was woken by her smoke alarm at around 4am to find the house on fire and bedrooms filled with smoke.

She tried to rescue her children but was beaten back by the smoke.

Miss Partlett added: "I woke up to find my bedroom was filled with jet black smoke and I could barely breathe. I opened my door and a hoard of black smoke came in the room and the heat was horrible.

"I couldn't get to the girls' bedroom but luckily I had my mobile phone. I found it on the floor through the smoke and dialled 999.

"I still couldn't breath and my eyes were stinging. All I could think about was I couldn't get to the kids and didn't know if they were awake.

"I was screaming out through the window I have never been so scared."

Firefighters smashed their way through the front door and first rescued Travis from the downstairs bedroom.

Then firefighters rescued Skye and Mimi from the second floor followed by their mother.

Travis said: "I didn't know there was fire until the fireman came through the front window and grabbed me and took me through the window so I didn't cut myself."

The John Radcliffe Hospital, British Red Cross, friends and family have rallied round and bought extra clothes, toys and food .

They have been temporarily rehoused by Oxford City Council.

Miss Partlett's eldest daughter Rhiannon, nine, was staying at a friend's house when the fire started.

Mr Heycock said: "This was probably a once-in-a-lifetime job. To rescue four people from a burning house with eight rooms, things could have been so different.

"It is so rewarding to see these children all fine and healthy. Often we don't get the chance."

The fire is believed to have started accidentally, caused by an iron in the living room on the second floor.