AN elderly grandfather is today recovering with his family after neighbours and firefighters rescued three generations of his family from their burning home.

As reported in yesterday's Daily Echo, Jack Woodforde and his daughter and granddaughter were asleep in their Stubbington home when a fire started in the living room.

It is thought to have been started by a candle, lit in memory of Mr Woodforde's great-grandson Lewis, who died earlier this year, aged just five months.

A courageous neighbour managed to pull Mr Woodforde's 46-year-old daughter Anne Clemo and 20-year-old granddaughter Tracey from an upstairs window.

However, the intensity of the fire meant that firefighters had to go in and save 86-year-old Mr Woodforde.

He was taken to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, where he was treated for smoke inhalation.

He has now been released into the care of his family in Gosport while the house in The Croft, Stubbington, undergoes repairs.

His grandson Peter, 26, today spoke of the family's relief that they were all safe, and also of the tragedy of Lewis's death.

He said: "I'm pleased that everyone is safe and that my grandfather is going to be okay.

"We just want to say thank you to all the firemen who helped us they were amazing and also to Pete, who helped my mother and sister out of the window.

"They say things happen in threes, and this is our second tragedy this year.

"I lost my son Lewis earlier in the year to a heart condition when he was only five months old.

"This fire makes me realise just how vulnerable we all are."

His sister Anne said that the fire may have been started by a candle burning in the living room in memory of Lewis.

Fire scene investigators were at the house yesterday afternoon looking for clues to the cause of the blaze, and said that it was not being treated as suspicious.

Neighbour Pete Fisher, 50, was labelled a hero after he grabbed a ladder and scaled the side of the house to rescue Anne and Tracey, who were screaming for help from a bedroom window.

Mr Fisher put it down to instincts and said: "I'd like to think anyone would have done the same."