THREE generations of one family owe their lives to neighbours and firefighters who rescued them after a blaze broke out at their home.

The fire started in the downstairs lounge trapping the elderly grandfather, his daughter and granddaughter in their upstairs bedrooms.

It is thought the fire started from a burning candle that was lit to remember a family member who died earlier this year aged five months.

While the fire service were called quick-thinking neighbours managed to put a ladder up to the back bedroom window and rescue Anne Clemo, 46, and her daughter, Tracey Clemo, 20.

Firefighters then arrived and broke through the front door to rescue Jack Woodforde, 86, who is disabled and was unable to walk.

This morning Tracey paid tribute to the neighbour Pete Fisher, pictured above in front of the house, who rescued her. "Pete's our hero."

She described the moment she discovered the fire: "I just woke up as black smoke started pouring into the room. I woke up my mum and the two of them hung out of the window yelling for help. On the way out of the window I saw that the front room was all yellow."

Mr Fisher, 50, said: "I was watching TV last night when I heard screaming and shouting, when I turned off the TV the screaming carried on.

"I walked outside found the grandfather Jack hanging out of a front window. There were already neighbours with a ladder at the back so I went up and got the woman out."

Residents described how they tried to reach the elderly pensioner who had managed to drag himself to his bedroom window and open it. As they tried to put a ladder up to the window they were beaten back by the intensity of the heat and smoke of the fire that started at The Croft family home in Stubbington, Fareham just after midnight last night.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service arrived and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus broke through the front door to rescue the elderly man from his first-floor bedroom.

The family dog and two hamsters were also rescued by the fire service.

Almost 20 firefighters then tackled the blaze, that is thought to have started due to a candle which the family lit every night in memory of Anne's nephew Lewis Clemo, who died aged five months from a heart condition.

Watch manager Jim Stone said the incident was just "minutes away from being a tragedy."

He added: "When we arrived the elderly man had his head out of the window, somehow he managed to open it. If not it could have been much worse."

Mr Woodforde was taken by Hampshire Ambulance to Queen Alexandra hospital in Cosham along with his daughter and granddaughter who were suffering from smoke inhalation. They were later discharged and were this morning surveying the damage to their home. Although smoke alarms were fitted at the property they were not thought to be working.