A mother and her young child narrowly escaped being engulfed by a fire that broke out at their Manor Park home this morning.

The woman told fire crews called to the blaze in Grantham Road she had removed batteries in her smoke alarm after it started beeping to remind her to change them.

She was woken by the screams of her two year old daughter after the fire broke out in the living room at 1.30am and managed to flee the property, taking the family dog with her.

The two-storey mid-terrace house was completely destroyed in the blaze, which is not believed to have been started deliberately.

Watch Manager Mark Mills, of Ilford fire station, said: “She’s incredibly lucky considering the severity of the fire that she and her daughter are here with us today — really lucky.”

The mother, who is in her late 30s, left internal doors open, leaving the fire to rip through the house in a matter of minutes, he added.

“They are all safe but she’s lost everything she had in there,” he said.

“It was only about 12 minutes between the fire starting and us getting there.

“This really does underline that you should get a smoke alarm and change the batteries regularly.

“If it goes off, close the doors if you can to slow the fire and get your family out.”

Fire crews are able to offer fire safety advice and fit free smoke alarms.

For more information call London Fire Brigade on 08000 284428.