Man and pets rescued in Stafford house fire
A man, three dogs, a cat and a parrot were rescued by firefighters after a blaze tore through a house in Staffordshire damaging the roof and blowing out a window.
The householder, who was in his 40s, was left in hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and the cat died from injuries it received in the blaze at St Peter's Gardens in Stafford.
Firefighters were called to the terraced home just before 2pm yesterday. It is believed the blaze started in a bedroom in the property and spread to the roof.
A cordon was today in place around the house and the neighbouring property which was smokelogged. Damage could also be seen to the roof of the building.
Neighbour Linda Machin, aged 61, saw the fire as she stepped off the bus at 2pm.
She said: "I could see smoke coming out of the house, the whole of the bedroom window was in flames. The window blew out, it was horrendous."
Inhalation
"I saw the firefighters rescue a cat and the parrot and give them oxygen but the little Persian cat died."
Another neighbour, 31-year-old Amy Flackett, added: "It was hectic yesterday, I saw smoke out the window. The firefighters came over later and asked me to look after the parrot."
Investigations into the cause of the fire are continuing. The man was released from hospital last night.
In another fire shortly before 6am yesterday a man was taken to hospital after suffering smoke inhalation and a pet guinea pig died at a fire at a house in Lea Street, Kidderminster.
The fire was in the kitchen which was severely damaged and the whole property was affected by fire or smoke damage. It is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault.
By Lisa O'Brien
