A brave family friend has told how he helped put out a fire that threatened to rip through a Hampshire home.

Mark Jones, of Churchill Close, in, told of the dramatic moment that his neighbour came "hurtling" across the road to his house crying for help, after the blaze took hold at around 11.20pm last night.

As Mark's wife Sarah, 43, called the fire brigade, the father of three ran across the road to the aid of the family.

Ian and Sue Harris, along with their children Wayne and Kirsty, had already managed to escape the building, along with Kirsty's two young children who were sleeping upstairs.

But the family's two dogs remained inside.

Ian began filling buckets of water in the back garden, while Wayne and Mark ran into the burning home in a bit to extinguish the flames.

Mark said: "It was just instinct. If the flames would have carried on, they would have reached the top half of the house and they would have lost the lot.

"Wayne did a brilliant job and I'm sure his dad is very proud of him.

"I'm just glad everyone got out okay."

Housewife Sarah described the fire as "one of the scariest things I've ever witnessed."

She added: "I was on the phone to the fire brigade and looking out the window and all I could see was smoke.

"The flames just blew up within seconds. It was scary as hell.

"You always hear about Joe Bloggs up the road having a house fire, but to actually see it happen right in front of you was terrible."