Melbourne woman discovers husband sound asleep in burning bed

A woman who was woken by a fire alarm at her Melbourne house saved her elderly husband after finding him lying in a burning bed.

The woman was in another room of their Box Hill house when the smoke alarm went off early this morning.

When she went to check on her husband she found him lying in a bed that had caught alight.

Fire crews said the blaze was caused by an electric blanket.

Senior Station Officer Phil Griffith said the working smoke alarm saved his life.

The fire spread from the bedroom to the roof space and has left significant damage to the home.

Metropolitan Fire Brigade firefighters will remain on scene until early afternoon to continue fire duties.