Samantha Bailey, a single mum-of-three, was rescued by her neighbour, Derek Birkin, who had been alerted by two boys playing nearby.

He rushed inside the house at Park View, and carried 25-year-old Miss Bailey out over his shoulder.

The fire had started just after 10pm on Thursday, June 26, when Miss Bailey fell asleep without properly putting out her cigarette, and the blaze quickly spread throughout the house.

She said: “If it hadn’t been for the boys I might not be here. They live in a chalet behind my house and they were playing out when they saw the smoke. They shouted to Derek, who ran into the house.

“I’d fallen asleep on the sofa, then woke up with the room filled with smoke and the smoke alarm going off. I was coughing and choking. I was terrified.

“I got up and tried to make it to the door. The next thing I remember was waking up in hospital. Apparently Derek found me collapsed unconscious on the floor. I was very lucky.”

Miss Bailey has twin daughters, Kelsey and Lauren, seven, and an 18-month old baby, Savannah, who were at their grandmother’s house at the time.

Miss Bailey said: “It’s scared them. They know they nearly lost their mummy.

“I’m really grateful to those boys and to Derek for getting me out. I’m glad I had a smoke alarm, because otherwise I wouldn’t have woken up.”

Crews from Royston and Barnsley put the fire out using hosereel water jets and cleared the smoke from the property using a ventilation fan.

Miss Bailey was taken to Barnsley General Hospital with smoke inhalation.

She added: “My chest is still bad, but I don’t have any burns. The fire spread throughout the house and I’ve got people in now having to take all my stuff out.

“I’ll never smoke in the house again.”