The occupants of a house had a lucky escape from a fire today.
The fire service say the occupiers were woken by the sound of smoke detectors.
A fire started in the lounge which ‘quickly developed to produce significant heat and copious amounts of smoke’.
The drama happened at 2.20am today in Westmoreland Road, Douglas.
The fire service said the occupants made a safe and speedy escape enabling them to call for assistance via 999.
The attendance of two fire appliances from Douglas and the police enabled the occupants to be cared for.
They also included two pet dogs and two hamsters.
The fire was extinguished quickly by fire crews wearing breathing apparatus and hose reels.
Fire safety officer Steve Cretney said crews remained on the scene for more than an hour while they ventilated the products of combustion, thoroughly checking the property for fire damage and establishing a cause of the blaze.
Mr Cretney told Isle of Man Newspapers: ‘If the smoke alarms had not worked or had not been in place, who knows what we would have been faced with?’
Mr Cretney said the fire and rescue service ‘ would like to take the opportunity to remind people to be particularly careful when using candles and tea lights.
‘Thankfully on this occasion no one was injured.
‘The message here is a simple one; close all your doors when retiring at night, have an escape plan and have working smoke alarms.
‘Remember… get out, stay out, get the fire service out.’
It is also understood none of the pets were injured.