A woman and four teenagers fled a Telford bungalow after a blaze in a bedroom.

The woman and girls were alerted by a smoke alarm at the home in Little Dawley.

A neighbour tried to put out the flames using an extinguisher after the fire broke out shortly before 10pm yesterday.

The five people, who have not been named, were out of the property by the time firefighters arrived at the semi-detached property in Malvern Crescent.

Neil Maguire, Tweedale Fire Station watch manager, said today the fire started in a bedroom and spread to the furnishings and curtains.

He added: “A smoke alarm alerted the occupants and they were outside the bungalow when we arrived.

“This illustrates the value of having alarms in the home.”

MrÊMaguire said the woman had been in the property with her two teenage children and two of their friends in separate rooms when the fire started.

He added: “A neighbour had attempted to put the fire out with a dry powder extinguisher before we arrived.

“The woman in the house said she had been smoking and she believes that may have set the curtains alight.”

Ten per cent of the bungalow was fire-damaged and more than a fifth affected by smoke.

Mr Maguire added: “The fire had the potential to be more serious. Working smoke detectors alerted the occupiers in various rooms and they responded correctly and left the property and dialled 999.”

He said the woman and four teenagers had been able to go back in once the incident was dealt with.

Ten firefighters from Tweedale and Wellington Fire Stations and an incident commander from Shrewsbury were called to the scene to tackle the blaze.