Firefighters are trying to trace two mystery heroes who helped saved a family from their blazing home.

Simon Smith and his wife Penny Davies-Smith were asleep on the top floor of their three-storey home when they were awoken by smoke alarms going off early on Saturday.

Mr Smith was able to rescue his daughters Megan, 14, and Brittany, eight, who were sleeping on the second floor.

But his wife Penny and two-year old son Luke were trapped on the third floor of their home in Crawley Road, Horsham.

With little chance of escape down the stairs, two mystery passers-by intervened to help in a dramatic rooftop rescue.

One of them stood on a moss-covered tiled roof which sloped away from the house above the burning kitchen while Mrs Davies-Smith handed Luke to him from the top floor.

She then climbed out of the top floor window dropping onto a sloping ledge about 30ft above ground before lowering herself another 20ft into the arms of the rescuer.

Mr Smith followed seconds after.

Mr Smith said: "I can't remember a lot about it, but we just did it. I knocked the poor guy over when I dropped down. I haven't a clue who they were, but it would be nice to know who they were so we could say thank you to them.

"Penny was cross with me for going back in as she said she would have been able to climb out, but you don't think of it at the time. I knew they were in there and I wanted to get to them."

The fire had started in the kitchen on the ground floor at the back of the house at about 1.13am and the two lower floors were smoke- logged.

Mr Smith said the smoke detectors saved their lives, although the kitchen was destroyed by fire.

The family was taken Crawley Hospital in two ambulances where they were treated for smoke inhalation and later released.

Two fire appliances from Horsham arrived at the scene within minutes of being called, but the mystery heroes had already disappeared from the scene.

The fire service would like to hear from the passers by, who were asked to call 01243 786211.