A MOTHER-to-be told how she and her partner escaped from a house fire after being alerted by the smoke alarms.

Pregnant Kelly Phillips, 31, was lying in bed when the smoke alarms sounded at the detached property in Oban Road, Winton, Bournemouth, at around 4.15pm on Monday.

Husband Andy, 32, rang the fire brigade and attempted to fight the fire before being driven out by smoke.

Kelly said: “When the alarms went off I was lying down in bed trying to listen to my pregnancy CD then the smoke alarms sounded. Andy came running up and called the fire brigade.”

Andy said: “I was in the loft chucking buckets of water on it. Flames were coming out of the back corner of the house. There was so much smoke up there. We both ran out of the house.”

Around six fire engines and the high rise appliance from Westbourne attended the scene.

Incident commander Steve Isaacs from Springbourne station said the extent of the damage was not yet known, adding: “We currently have no idea what caused the fire.”

The fire also led to traffic delays along Talbot Avenue during rush hour as fire crews had to use hydrants from the other side of Talbot Avenue, he added.