Fire ravaged a family home in Burford Close for over three hours this morning (August 20), leaving the first floor and roof almost entirely destroyed.
Fire crews from Luton and Stopsley were called to the scene at 2.39am but it was too dangrous for them to enter the building.
The three occupants of the house escaped unharmed, and neighbours in adjoining properties were evacuated for their safety while firefighters tackled the blaze .
Station commander Mark Barter said: “The fire had spread very quickly by the time we got there and firefighters used our aerial platform to literally get on top of the fire and get control of it. I’d like to congratulate those involved for doing such a good job.”
Mr Barter said one of the people in the house was awoken by the smell of smoke and shut her door to prevent smoke getting into her room before banging on the walls to alert others in the house.
Two people escaped by climbing out of windows and another left through the front door.
It took firefighters half an hour to get the blaze fully under control and a further three hours to fully extinguish it.
Mr Barter said: “This was a very serious fire that did a lot of damage to the house and took a while for us to get it under control. It’s amazing that everyone got out safely. The occupants were lucky that they woke up and had the presence of mind to climb out of the windows.
“I’d like to re-enforce our message that people should think about their escape routes from their house if there is a fire. It is also vital for people to have smoke alarms on your stairs and other escape routes and to regularly check they are working.”
A neighbour who did not wish to be named said: “It was very frightening the way the fire spread so quickly. Thank goodness they all got out safely, that’s the most important thing.”
Fire crews remained at the scene for several hours during the morning damping down and turning over debris from the fire.
Three quarters of the roof and first floor of the house were destroyed by fire and the rest of the property suffered from water damage.
It is thought the fire started accidentally and there are no suspicious circumstances.