A neighbour's alarm picked up smoke coming from a house in Banbury and alerted fire crews, who led a family of three to safety on Sunday at 0000 BST.

At 0500 BST, a fire started by a candle in another home in the Oxfordshire town set off an alarm and four children were led to safety by their mother.

Paramedics treated people at both scenes for smoke inhalation.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has urged householders to fit smoke alarms following the weekend's events.

A spokesperson said: "Plan what to do in the event of being woken up in the night by your smoke detector.

"That simple thing has lead to the lowest number of fire deaths in the home for 40 years and helped save eight people last night alone."