A FAMILY of five escaped a serious house fire in Mill End last night (June 30).

Four fire crews, including one from Rickmansworth, were called to Middleton Road at about 10.35pm to tackle the blaze, on the second floor of a semi-detached house.

The fire started after one of the residents knocked over an electric lamp as they were leaving room, and the curtains were set alight.

The flames spread to the loft, which was burnt out. Damage was also caused by water from firefighting operations and burst water pipes.

After bringing the flames under control, firefighters left the scene at about 11.50pm.

A crew returned this morning to make sure the property was safe.

No one suffered any injuries and the family are believed to be back in the house today.

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "The residents didn't realise there was a fire until they heard crackling. "

"Although there was a smoke alarm in the house, it didn't have any batteries in it.

"Working smoke alarms give early warning of a fire and save lives. In this case, a working smoke detector would have alerted the family to the fire at a much earlier stage and minimised the damage caused. Smoke alarms should be tested weekly and the batteries should never be removed.

"The incident support unit from Rickmansworth proved invaluable in protecting the families belongings during salvage operations."