A family of seven were left stranded on a roof after discovering a fire in their house.

Six members of the family were taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary for precautionary check-ups following the fire at their home in Killinghall Drive, Undercliffe, yesterday.

Crews were called to the house at about 5.55am following reports of a fire at the house.

The family of five children and two adults had managed to escape on to a flat roof at the back of the house where they waited for firefighters.

Simon Moore, crew commander at Bradford Fire Station, said they were led to safety down a ladder by the fire service.

He said: “There were no smoke detectors in the house so they were very lucky to get out.”

Mr Moore said a member of the family had woken up and smelt the smoke before alerting everybody else to the fire in the dining room on the ground floor.

He said a fire investigation team was at the house yesterday with the police investigating the cause of the fire.

Mr Moore warned of the dangers of not having smoke alarms fitted in homes.

He said: “This is why we stress the importance of smoke detectors in homes.

“They can detect fires in their early stages which give families who are asleep a good chance of making their way safely out of the property.”

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

The spokesman said: “Police were called at about 5.55am to reports of a fire at Killinghall Drive.

“The circumstances are currently being investigated and inquiries are ongoing.

“No one was injured during the incident.”