A man was saved from a burning building after a firefighter was alerted to the blaze – by his dog.
Seven-year-old cockapoo Bertie started barking when smoke was billowing from a bungalow in Swindon in Wiltshire at 3am on Wednesday.
Bertie’s owner Chris Howell, who was a retained firefighter at Swindon Fire Station for 11 years up until 2020, was awoken by his pet’s noises.
The 52-year-old called 999 and and he and his wife ran over to see if they could help.
They arrived at the same time as the first fire engine as flames were emerging from the roof.
The fire crew immediately entered the property after being told that there was a man – who has mobility issues – stuck inside.
Firefighters managed to find and rescue the man swiftly bringing him to safety as they started to battle the raging blaze.
Chris said: “I woke up to the dog barking and he was staring at the window as if something was wrong.
“We looked outside and saw smoke coming from the roof of the bungalow opposite, and then I saw a flame breaking through the roof so I was straight on the phone to the emergency services to get the fire service there.”
Chris added: “The flames were coming from the roof and knowing it was a bungalow the man would have been on the ground floor, so had that fire engine not turned up so quickly I would have gone in to bring him out myself.”
At the height of the incident around 40 firefighters were in attendance alongside an aerial ladder platform. A main jet and two hose reel jets extinguished the fire.
A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: “We were called at 3.08am this morning (13 November) to Drove Road, Swindon for a fire in the roof of a bungalow.
“At the height of the incident, we had crews in attendance from Swindon (x2), Stratton (x2), Westlea, Marlborough, Royal Wootton Bassett and Pewsey, together with the aerial ladder platform from Swindon and an incident command unit from Devizes.
“Six breathing apparatus wearers, two hose reel jets and a main jet have been used to tackle the fire.
“A male occupant of the property was brought to safety by firefighters and was handed into the care of the ambulance service.”
A full investigation was carried out, with an officer on scene until mid-afternoon.
The probe revealed that the most likely cause was a fault with an electric bathroom fan.
