A FATHER and son have told how they saved a neighbour's life as her house was engulfed in flames.

Phil Burdett and his son Ocean, who live in Hambleton Road, Norton, were watching television at about 6pm on Sunday when they heard someone banging on their front door.

The pair looked out of the window and saw smoke and people stood in the street.

Phil, 55, said: "We went outside and saw that the house two doors down from us was on fire and I could see flames in the front room when I looked through the window.

"I tried the front door but it wouldn't open so I went to the back door which opened but I couldn't see anything because of the thick black smoke."

Ocean, 23, said he went to try the front door again while his dad went to get tools and hammers.

"I tried to push the door with my shoulder but it wouldn't budge so I got a rock and threw that through the glass panel, then put my hand through and opened the door from the inside," he said.

"We couldn't see anything because of the smoke but when we ducked down we could see her half-way up the stairs."

Phil said: "We managed to drag her out as she was unconscious and just as we got her out of the door there was a huge explosion which blew the windows out.

"We didn't stop for a second to think of our own safety, we knew we had to get in there to get her out, another 30 seconds it would have been too late. We have been neighbours for more than 20 years and this is a dreadful thing to happen. We are just thankful that we were able to save her life."

Phil and Ocean were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation and released in the early hours.

The female occupant of the house was also taken to hospital.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said they were called at 6.29pm on Sunday.

"Appliances from Malton, Huntington and Pickering attended this incident and used six breathing apparatus, two hose reel jets, one main jet and a triple extension ladder to extinguish the fire. Crews attended the incident again the following day to determine the cause of fire."