A seven-year-old boy and a woman are today fighting for their lives after a fire at a home in Southampton.

The boy and the 51-year-old woman were among eight people taken to hospital after a fire broke out in a Southampton house early today.

Three adults and five children were taken by paramedics to Southampton General Hospital following the blaze in Marston Road, Thornhill.

A total of 20 firefighters from St Mary's and Hightown Stations tackled the blaze for an hour. They battled through the smoke filled ground floor and rescued the adult and the child, who are now in a critical condiditon in Southampton hospital.

A second adult and four children, who managed to escape the blazing two-storey property before firefighters arrived, were also taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

The third adult taken to hospital by paramedics from South Central Ambulance was a neighbour who had suffered a fit at the time of the fire.

Another neighbour alerted the fire brigade at 1.23am about the fire that is believed to have started in the kitchen of the council property.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue and a Police Forensic Team have launched an investigation into what caused the fire that badly damaged both floors of the house and completely destroyed the font porch.

A police spokesman said the blaze was not being treated as suspicious at this stage and officers were working with Hampshire Fire and Rescue to find the cause.

All lines of enquiry are being looked into including the possibility that Christmas decorations may have started the fire.

Throughout this morning a police officer remained at the scene of the fire which was cordoned off along with its neighbouring seven terrace houses.

Neighbours spoke of being woken up by the arrival of the fire crews and the sounds of windows smashing.

Janet Goodman, 55, a carer, said: "I just heard bangs and blasts. I looked out of my front window and saw flames coming from the front porch. It was a real shock."

Another neighbour, Valerie Terry, a retired 62-year-old, said: "I heard a bang that sounded like windows popping, the next minute I saw he fire engines. It was mayhem."

Mark Jones, Hampshire Fire and Rescue spokesman said: "On first impressions it looks like a very serious fire. The fire crews have done extremely well to rescue the people from the property and treat people with first aid outside on the scene."