A couple escaped their burning home after smelling smoke in the early hours of today.

Firefighters said the couple had a lucky escape after smelling burning and seeing flames at their cottage on the Manor Farm Estate in East Ginge shortly before 3.40am.

Thirty-five firefighters from Didcot, Abingdon and Wantage tackled the blaze and used water from a nearby swimming pool to douse the flames.

The neighbouring cottage was empty and no-one was hurt.

Incident commander Pete Cleary said: "They did brilliantly to behave so vigilantly during the early hours and they have had a very lucky escape.

"The fire started in the eaves and one of them said she saw flames beneath a spotlight on the outside of the house, so that is being investigated as a possible cause.

"The fire does not look suspicious.

"There was 75 per cent damage to one of the cottages and the fire has spread through the roof space to the next cottage.

"It looks like there has been about 25 per cent damage to the roof of the cottage the fire spread to."

Mr Cleary said fire crews were still damping down the cottages this morning as fire investigation officers started work.