A YOUNG family had a lucky escape after their car caught alight and the fire spread to their house.

Samantha Hardway, 36, from Rylands Road, Southend, was home alone with her three children when she was woken up to strange noises.

The mum-of-three said: “I was up at 2.30am with my little one and I could hear these noises. At first I thought we were being burgled but I could hear cracking and it sounded like glass was cracking.

“I could see bright orange out of the window and I thought it was just workmen but then I saw the flames.

“I ran downstairs not knowing whether the whole house was on fire and then quickly got my children out of bed.

“My whole world fell apart for a second and when I came down the stairs there was an almighty bang.

Ms Hardway quickly woke her three children up, aged one, 12 and 15 before trying to get out of the house.

She said: “We couldn’t get out the front of the house because the flames were blowing across and blocking the alley.

“We stood in the garden and waited for the fire brigade to put the fire out and tell us it was safe to come back in.”

One of the neighbours called the fire brigade, as well as a passing car that saw the flames.

The car was completely burned and the front of the house, which melted all the piping, leaving the family without a kitchen.

Ms Hardway recalled: “It was so frightening, we still haven’t been to bed. I can’t believe it happened but now I have been online and read different cases where these cars have set alight from the inside.

“The Vauxhall was recalled in August, like many others, and they returned it supposedly having fixed the issues.

“I am just so grateful we are all fine, it could have been so much worse. Thank god no one was in the car.

“Everything that was damaged was material, it can be replaced, as long as the children are safe.”

Dad, John Bell, 40, who was working a night shift at the time said he was in shock about what happened.

He said: “I was on my way home when Sam called to say there was a fire. I was just envisaging so many scenarios.

“I was still shaking when I got here, the road was still blocked off from the fire brigade, but thankfully everyone was alright.”

Julie Dawson, Station Road, Thorpe Bay, who is Ms Hardway's mum, said: “It is just awful. I am so upset my daughter went through that stress waking up to that and had to get the kids out. It is so scary but it could have been worse - everything is replaceable.”

The fire service were called to the scene at 3.35am on Friday morning. A spokesman said: “Firefighters were called to a car on fire on a driveway, which then spread to the house.

"The car was 100 percent alight on arrival. One hose reel jet was used to extinguish the fire by 04:03am.

"There will be joint police and fire service investigation into the cause."