Man and dog rescued from house blaze (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Man and dog rescued from house blaze

7:52am Wednesday 10th September 2008 in Swindon By Gazette Reporter

Firefighters rescued a man and his dog from a house fire in Gorse Hill yesterday.

They rushed to the mid-terraced home in Caulfield Road at 4pm after receiving calls from neighbours who said that a man was trapped in an upstairs bedroom.

A fire brigade spokesman said: Upon arrival fire crews were confronted with a well developed fire that had smoke logged the street.

Fire-fighters wearing breathing apparatus carried out a rapid search of the dwelling and quickly rescued the male occupant from a first floor bedroom. They then re-entered the property to rescue the family's pet dog.''

The rescued man was taken to Great Western Hospital in Swindon. His condition is described as stable.

The cause of the fire is not thought to be suspicious at this stage and the family Collie dog Hector appears to be recovering well from his ordeal.

The spokesman said: "Smoke detectors were not fitted to the property and the incident commander stated that this was the reason the fire was so well developed and that the occupier had been extremely lucky to escape with his life.' '

Fire crews stayed at the scene while fire investigators determined the cause. They will be visiting neighbours to give fire safety advice and fit smoke detectors.