A mum and her two children escaped a house fire through a window after quick thinking from a 999 operator.

A fire ripped through a house in The Chase just before 6am this morning (October 8) while the family was sleeping inside.

Asleep in one bedroom with the door closed, the mum and kids were trapped as thick black smoke filled the house.

Luckily they had fire alarms alerting them to the impending danger. 

Phoning 999, Tom Stibbards answered the phone.

MORE TOP STORIES The brigade control officer instructed the family to put down bedding along the door to stop smoke coming into the room, and to open the window for fresh air.

He stayed on the phone with the family until the London Fire Brigade (LFB) arrived.

When fire fighters arrived – in full breathing apparatus – they found the family in the house which had filled with ‘thick black smoke’, which would have made it very difficult for the family to escape.

Bromley Crew Manager Stuart Chessun said: “The fire survival guidance the control operator gave helped save their lives.

"It allowed crews to carry out a great rescue by pitching a ladder against the bedroom window and bringing them to safety.”

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Courtesy of @LondonFire

The London Ambulance Service (LAS) treated them for smoke inhalation. 

The fire is believed to have been caused by a faulty extractor fan in the kitchen, which had been switched on after not being used for several years.

It took five fire engines and 31 fire fighters to quell the flames, which was over just after 6.30am.

Crew Manager Chessun urged people to always check appliances.