Riccall: Girl, six, wakes sleeping family during home blaze

A six-year-old girl who ran into her burning home to wake her sleeping family has been hailed a hero.

Olivia Patterson, from Riccall in North Yorkshire, was playing outside with a friend when she saw flames rising from the roof of her house on 4 April.

She ran inside to warn her mother, Laura Patterson, and her two younger siblings, who were all having an afternoon nap on the sofa downstairs.

"She was immensely brave," said Ms Patterson.

Olivia told BBC News she was playing nearby when she saw flames and smoke coming from her home and the adjoining house.

"I didn't know what to think so I went to tell mummy," Olivia said.

"I said, 'get out, get out, the house is on fire'."

Ms Patterson recalled: "I ended up waking up to Olivia bursting through the door shouting 'fire, fire, mummy wake up, get the babies'."

Four fire engines attended the blaze at the semi-detached property.

Olivia said: "I was getting a bit upset, because it was getting badder and badder and badder."

The family, who escaped the fire unharmed, have moved to temporary accommodation while the damage is assessed.

Ms Patterson added: "I was really shocked, I couldn't believe that she had run in.

"My neighbour told me they tried to stop her, but [Olivia] knew that we were in there."

She said the cause of the fire was under investigation, adding: "I'm so happy it happened during the day because our smoke alarms didn't go off.

"They're hardwired in, we think the wires may have melted and that's why they didn't go off."

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