A couple and their two young children were saved by their smoke alarm late on Monday evening after an electrical fault led to a fire in their kitchen.

Firefighters from Elm Lane and Darnall were called to the council-owned property on Whitehill Avenue in Brinsworth at just before midnight, and discovered the blaze had also melted a gas pipe, causing a leak.

The family managed to get out of the property safely but needed to be re-housed with the assistance of SYFR’s Fire Victim Support Unit and Rotherham Council.

Firefighters were able to turn off the gas supply and extinguish the fire, preventing it spreading to any other rooms.