A WOMAN from York has said she feels lucky to be alive after a fire in her home.

Janet Weaver, 59, lives in Oldman Court, Foxwood, with her partner Andy Smith, 50, and sister Margaret Holdsworth, 61, and said the fire started in her kitchen when she and her sister were recharging their e-cigarettes on Tuesday morning, and while Andy was asleep upstairs after a night-shift at Nestle.

Janet has lived in the council house for 28 years and said: "I was downstairs tidying up in the kitchen and went upstairs to get ready to go to town.

"My sister was on the sofa while I went upstairs. I was in the bathroom and suddenly smelled smoke and I rushed back downstairs and could just see smoke in the kitchen. We had two e-cigarette chargers in the kitchen and they've melted into the sockets."

Janet said she had used her charger several times before, but her sister's was new, and seemed to have a fault prior to the fire, which she said caused several electrical items in the kitchen to explode as well.

She said: "I never want to see another e-cigarette in this house again. We normally charge them for about two hours.

"My sister said she'd charged hers in the living room but it didn't charge properly, so she plugged it in in the kitchen and about five or ten minutes later it all kicked off. The fire brigade said we should go to trading standards with it."

Firefighters and paramedics were sent to the scene, and Janet, Andy and Margaret were all taken to York Hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

Janet said: "We're very grateful and feel lucky to be alive.

"It's frightened us to death but the worst fear I had in my mind last night was I'm under doctors and on sleeping tablets and haven't taken them for months. The worst scenario was me and my sister were going into town at the time and if we had gone five minutes earlier, Andy would have been trapped and couldn't get downstairs. He would be dead, it doesn't bear thinking about."

Janet also wanted to warn the public about the items: "People need to keep an eye on them at all times. The electrician came said he's got one and the ambulance man said his wife puts hers on charge and leaves it on overnight and he said his going to have words with her after this, and I won't have another in my house ever again. I would sooner have a real one now."