A FAMILY of five were left trapped after a fire engulfed their home.
The two adults and three young children aged three, 18 months and eight months, were rescued from the house on Bryn Mawr Road, Holywell in the early hours of yesterday morning.
A joint investigation has been launched by North Wales Police and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service to find the cause of the blaze, which started just after 3am.
Despite escaping without injury they are too scared to return home and were yesterday looking for alternative accommodation.
The mother, who did not want to be named, said: “The fire was in the hallway. I have not been round to see what the damage is.
“Someone put something through the letterbox I think. I’m not going back there.”
Smoke alarms alerted the family to the blaze and they called 999 and were told to make their way to an upstairs room.
They kept smoke out by blocking underneath the door with bedding until crews from Flint and Holywell arrived and smashed the front door.
Firefighters then tackled the fire in the ground floor hallway area and led the family to safety. Neighbours said they were only alerted to the blaze after the arrival of firefighters.
One Bryn Mawr Road resident said: “The flashing blue lights from the fire engines woke us up. We saw the fire men smash down the front door. We didn’t hear or see anything before that.
“We saw the family after outside and they looked quite calm.”
Damage from the fire was contained to the hallway.
Paul Whybro, community safety manager for Flintshire, said: “The family were able to take advantage of our fire safety survival advice from the control room operators.
“They were able to guide the movements of the family, advising them to move to a safer environment and lesson the effects of the smoke.
“This incident clearly highlights the life saving properties of smoke alarms - I cannot over emphasise the importance of fitting and maintaining working smoke alarms in your home.
“Had this family not been woken by the sound of the smoke alarm, we could very easily be dealing with a major tragedy here in North Wales.”