A rescuer was hailed a hero today after twice plunging into a blazing house to save the lives of a mum and her two young children.

George Duncan, 40, kicked down the front door of the smoke-logged building and dashed inside last night.

He crawled upstairs on his hands and knees, with a jumper over his face, and woke the young family who were asleep in their beds. He carried the four-year-old boy outside to safety then went back into the house to rescue the three-year-old girl and her mother.

The woman and her children, who have not been named, were today recovering in Bradford Royal Infirmary from shock and the effects of smoke.

But firefighters said Mr Duncan had saved the family's lives and he was likely to be recommended for a bravery award.

The blaze broke out at about 9pm at the semi-detached house in Fallowfield Gardens, Bierley.

The alarm was raised by next door neighbour Jane Mackie, 41, after she smelled smoke.

She went across the road and alerted her parents, Jane and George Proctor.

Mrs Proctor, 60, said: "I looked through the letter box and could see smoke pouring through the house. The house was in complete darkness, we thought it was empty. The family had only lived there a couple of weeks.

"The smoke was thick and black. I ran into the street screaming and my son ran over and kicked down the door with one kick."

Mr Proctor, 62, said: "I took off my jumper and made him cover his head with it and told him to crawl inside because the smoke was so thick. He literally felt his way upstairs because he couldn't see anything.

"The kids and their mother were all asleep in the front bedroom. He had to wake them and carried the kids out and led the mum out.

"They were all choking and there was black smoke all over them. The children were crying and the mother was in shock. George got them out and then collapsed.

"They were all given oxygen and then they were taken to hospital, along with George. The mother, Lisa, was in her early 20s. The little boy said he was called Lucas."

Mrs Proctor added: "What my son did was fantastic. If it hadn't have been for him they wouldn't have been in hospital - they wouldn't have been here. The smoke was so bad if it had been another five minutes it would have been too late."

Two crews from Odsal fire station attended and firefighters carried out a full search of the house, which was severely damaged.

Sub Officer Bill Birch said: "When we got there smoke was pumping out of every door and window.

"The fire had been building up for a good half hour and it had created an awful lot of smoke. The conditions inside were terrible and the smoke was only a foot above the carpet.

"Mr Duncan did an excellent job. He is a brave fella and he certainly saved their lives. Our senior officer is considering recommending him for a bravery award."

The fire broke out in the living room and firefighters believe it was started by an electrical fault on a hi-fi system. There are no suspicious circumstances.

Today Mr Duncan, a driver for a Bradford car parts company, described how the smoke was so thick that it was impossible to see inside the house.

"When I got inside the heat was unbelievable and the smoke was dense and thick," said the father-of-four of Bingley.

"The children were upstairs with their mother so I went up the stairs and pulled the boy over me, down the stairs and got him out.

"But the mother and the small girl were still upstairs and wouldn't come down. I couldn't see so all I did was grab thin air until I got hold of them and got them out together."