Parents scrambled to rescue their baby daughter as flames surrounded the infant's bedroom.

The fierce blaze broke out in the early hours of yesterday morning after the family's caravan caught fire outside.

The fire soon spread to the house, in Cowper Road, Burbage, destroying a car and forcing the parents to grab their baby and another child, then escape through a back door into the garden.

Five crews from Hinckley and Warwickshire fire stations arrived on the scene, at about 3.25am, yesterday.

Firefighters tackled the blaze while friends and neighbours looked after the shaken family.

Fire investigators and police are investigating the cause of the blaze. Officers say they are keen to speak to three youths, on BMX bikes seen near the home

Resident Glennis Brightmore, 50, watched the drama before taking the parents and youngsters into her home.

She said: "I could see the parents scrambling about in the baby's bedroom upstairs – I think they were in shock – and I could see the roof above their heads on fire.

"I was thinking 'quick, get out'. It was horrible to watch."

Neighbouring families also hurried out of their homes with blankets and cups of tea for the shaken families.

One neighbour had to flee to his garden as the heat and flames from next door licked the side of his home, cracked windows, melted guttering and severely scorched his car.

The man, who did not want to be named, said: "The light and noise woke me – I thought it was lightning at first with all the shadow play dancing around on the wall of the bedroom. Then I could hear it crackling and when I looked out of the window I could see next door was on fire.

"At one point it looked as if the whole house would go up."

Ian Tomlinson, 64, who lives three doors away, said: "I heard this banging at about 3.20am and before the fire brigade got here there were quite a few people outside looking at the caravan.

"It wasn't too bad at first, then all of a sudden the caravan went up and the fire set into the front of the house.

"It was covered in massive flames and there was a young baby in there so it's lucky that they all got out to the garden."

Two gas canisters, which stood feet from the blazing caravan, remained intact.

Incident commander Chris Argent from Hinckley fire station said it was "lucky" the cylinders did not ignite.

A spokeswoman for the police said: "Police are working with the fire brigade to establish whether the fire was malicious.

"Officers are particularly keen to speak to the three youths seen in the area on BMX bikes at the time of the incident. They may have important information regarding what happened so we would urge them to get in touch."

Anyone with information can contact police on 0116 222 2222 or Crimestoppers which is anonymous on 0800 55 111.