Crews save ‘shaken’ and ‘scared’ cat from Rustington fire
Two crews from Littlehampton and one from East Preston, along with a Red Cross support team, were called to property in Woodlands Avenue, at 2.13am.
The blaze sparked in the kitchen due to unattended cooking igniting nearby furnishings.
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Hide AdInitially, it had been thought that someone was trapped in the building.
Dean Puttock, watch manager, said: “I went to the neighbour’s garden and the owner was in it. When I spoke to him, he thought that a lodger was still inside the house so we sent a team wearing breathing apparatus in to search the property.”
Four officers wearing breathing masks and armed with thermal imaging cameras entered the terrace property.
However, the lodger was not inside the building.
Two high pressure hoses were used to quell the flames, which caused extensive heat and smoke damage to kitchen.
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Hide AdDean said the rescued cat was ‘shaken’ by the ordeal and that it ‘struggled free and ran off’ when brought outside.
He is urging people to be careful when cooking and to avoid leaving food unattended.