HOUSEHOLDERS in the region have been warned to check electrical appliances after a family narrowly cheated death in a blaze at their home.

The fire broke out at a ground floor flat in Diamond Street, Saltburn, early yesterday.

The building is a house that has been converted into flats.

A 12-year-old girl raised the alarm when she got up in the middle of the night.

She smelled smoke, woke her parents and dialled 999 before the family escaped.

Residents from the seven other flats in the house also escaped.

Firefighters from Cleveland Fire Brigade say someone could have been killed in the blaze.

They discovered that the fire was caused by a faulty electrical extension lead plugged into a socket. A brigade spokesman said it was important for householders to check the condition of their electrical extension leads.

"If there have been any deterioration or signs of breakdown they are advised to replace them immediately," he said.

Station Officer Peter May, from Redcar Fire Station, said he would also advise people to turn off extension leads when they are not in use.

He said: "People have computers and lots of other electrical appliances in the house these days."

The flat was destroyed in the fire, while the entrance hall and stairway to the first floor were severely damaged by heat and smoke.

Nine rooms on the first floor and eight rooms on the second floor suffered moderate damage.