The 13-year-old girl was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary following the blaze at a home in Station Road, Essendine.
She was rescued by workers from a railway track opposite the house who then called the emergency services just after 1.20pm.
She was out of the house when fire crews arrived and was taken to a nearby home. Paramedics called for an air ambulance for the teenager who had suffered moderate burns to her face and hands.
Tommy Neal, watch manager of white watch at Oakham Fire Station, said they believed the fire was accidental and had been started when an aerosol can was put on to an open fire along with some rubbish. The aerosol threw burning embers out of the fire and on to the settee.
Mr Neal said: "The railway workers did a good job and if we can find them, they should be congratulated."
Two pumps from Stamford and one from Oakham attended the blaze as well as a command support vehicle from Wigston.
Four firefighters used breathing equipment and hose reels to tackle the blaze which was mainly confined to the living room, but caused smoke damage elsewhere in the house.
Windows at the house exploded during the incident.
Robert Johnson, 17, of Station Road, spotted smoke as he brought in the washing. He said the windows exploded as he went to see what was happening.
The student added: "I walked out of the gate and all the windows were falling out and smashing. It was pretty noisy."
At the time of going to press it was not known if the girl was due to spend the night in hospital.
The firefighters had left the scene by 5pm.