A SMOKE alarm saved a woman and her young granddaughter from a midnight blaze.

The fire broke out in her Halton Brook home on Saturday night after a smouldering cigarette left on a sofa set light to the lounge.

Fortunately, the woman in her 50s managed to escape safely with her four-year-old granddaughter after hearing the smoke detector.

"Cigarettes can burn at over 700 degrees," said watch manager Rob Turner. "The lady had done her nightly routine. Always use ashtrays and make sure when you put out a cigarette it is really extinguished."

Two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the fire in the lounge of a house in Leaside.

Crews, who were at the scene within two minutes, feared there could have been a blast.

"The property had all the signs that a backdraft may occur," explained Mr Turner.