A smoke alarm saved the lives of a woman and her two children after their Wembley flat caught on fire yesterday morning.

The woman heard the alarm and unable to escape the flat in the Harrow Road, she called 999 and was given crucial survival advice over the phone.

Advice was also given to residents on the upper floor who were also unable to leave their flats due to the levels of smoke in the hallway.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus subsequently arrived at the scene and led them to safety.

Seven residents managed to escape the building before fire crews arrived just after 1am.

An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire.