A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD boy and his family fled a fire in their Southampton home this morning.

The schoolboy and two others were able to escape without injury after the blaze started in the lounge of their maisonette, in Dempsey Close, Sholing, just before 8am.

They were alerted by their smoke alarm and thanks to their quick escape, the family only suffered from mild smoke inhalation and did not need to go to hospital.

Crews from Hightown Fire Station fought the flames, which caused extensive damage to the living room and severe heat and smoke damage to the rest of the property.

Investigations are currently underway to establish the cause of the fire.

Watch Manager Simon Molyneaux said: “The residents were alerted to the fire, due to the smoke detectors fitted to the property.“The alarm allowed them to quickly escape and prevent a more serious situation.