Passing stranger who spotted fire 'saved Loughborough family'

Rochelle Arme said the family was woken up by the woman in the early hours of Tuesday

A woman says her family's lives were saved by a passing stranger who alerted them to a fire outside their house.

Rochelle Arme, 22, and her family were awoken by the woman knocking on their door in Shelthorpe Road, Loughborough, at 04:30 GMT on Tuesday.

Crews put out the blaze and told Miss Arme it would have spread to the house had it not been for the passer-by.

After a social media appeal, Miss Arme has made contact with the woman and hopes to thank her "in the daylight".

The Leicestershire family originally thought the banging noise was coming from the main road.

Miss Arme said: "The lady was banging on the door and then she was banging on the window trying to get our attention.

"She woke us up... we couldn't smell or see the fire."

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After some initial confusion about where the fire was, they located it in a bin in their front garden.

"At this point the fire wasn't as big - it was just really smoky," Miss Arme said.

"She left and we got the hose pipe to try and calm it down and then it just exploded - I've never seen anything like it before."

Firefighters evacuated Miss Arme, her father, stepmother, two brothers and two dogs from the house while they put out the blaze.

Miss Arme said firefighters told her the woman's intervention was crucial

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said it was caused by ash from a log burner being disposed of into a bin.

Fence panels were burnt and the bins melted but Miss Arme fears it could have been much worse.

She said: "If it wasn't for her knocking on the door when she did, the fireman said the fire would have spread to the house."

Miss Arme launched an appeal on Facebook to find the woman and has since been able to track her down.

She said: "We have reached out and messaged her - we said we'd like to meet her in the daylight and give her a 'thank you' present because obviously, she saved our lives."