Woman's horror as she wakes up choking moments before explosion tears her home apart

A woman whose flat was destroyed by a devastating fire has revealed the moment she woke to find her home engulfed in flames.

Paige Hope lost everything she ever owned when she left a chip pan unattended in the early hours of July 20. The 29-year-old had not long taken medication which led to her accidentally falling asleep.

To her horror, she woke up choking to find her home full of thick black smoke. Paige tried to jump from her window with her dog Molly but the frame was too hot to touch. Moments later, an explosion flew her forward and she landed on the ground outside – breaking her leg in the process.

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Quick-thinking neighbours dialled 999 and fire crews rushed to the scene on Maple Crescent in Leigh. Miraculously, Yorkshire Terrier Molly survived the horrific ordeal.

“I went through domestic violence a few years ago and the medication sends me to sleep,” Paige told the Manchester Evening News. “I don’t know how I survived; I realised the flat was on fire when I woke up choking. Everything was black.

“I thought not to open the door because the fire would come in. The only way I could get out was jumping through the window. I was shouting ‘Help, I’m trapped,’ and went to jump out the window with my dog. I went to the frame and it was that hot I couldn’t even touch it. I was thrown out the window and landed on both my feet.

“Some people saw me in the garden and carried me to safety. The dog survived – the fire brigade turned out as I got to safety. I shouted that my dog was in the flat; the fire crews kicked the door down and came out with her. She was a big ball of black.

“Everyone was crying in the