THREE Christchurch people were lucky to escape with their lives after fire spread into their loft from an empty house next door.

The Scott family got out of 28 Slinn Road, Somerford, before the fire spread to their bedrooms and the roof burned away.

Number 26 next door was gutted by the fire yesterday morning.

Margaret Scott, 53, and her storeman/van driver husband Barry own their semi-detached home.

Mrs Scott was awoken by the smell of burning at 5.30am on Tuesday.

She checked her home, found nothing amiss and went back to bed. But later she became aware of light flickering outside.

"Then we heard burning and crackling at six o'clock and we came out and the house next door was on fire," she said.

Mr Scott dialled 999 while his wife, daughter Tracey and two dogs and three cats withdrew from the house.

Three fire engines and an aerial ladder unit attended.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus got some of the furniture out of the Scotts' home while others doused the flames.

The Scotts now have gaping, charred holes in their roof, no ceilings in their bedrooms and water and smoke damage throughout the rest of their property.

"We own our own home so the insurance will be sorting us out," said Mrs Scott, putting on a brave face, though she admitted feeling "terrible" and "very shaky".

Tracey, 33, who works at Homebase, was close to tears.

Workmen from Signpost Housing Group had stayed late on Monday at the empty Twynham Housing Association property next door.

Fire investigation officer Steve Mant said the workmen had been fitting heating pipes in the loft.

"It looks like the soldering torch has caught some of the fibreboard in the roof space which has smouldered undetected during the night and burned down through the ceilings into the upper storey," he said.

Tina Partridge of Signpost Housing Group said: "We're extremely concerned about the incident at the property at Slinn Road.

"Thankfully the family were evacuated safely.

"We're investigating the matter and when we have further information we will issue a full statement."

John Parker of Twynham Housing Association said: "We've managed to help the Scott family into accommodation and help them as much as possible because they were obviously in a quite distressed situation."

"Number 26 has been offered to a potential tenant, so they will be offered alternative accommo-dation as well," he added.