2 September 2008

An 11-week-old puppy was at the centre of a freak fire accident recently which could have seen a house burn down.

Charlie, a border collie, had bitten into an aerosol can while he was lying next to a gas fire.

Despite the gas fire being unlit, flammable liquid was ignited once it came into contact with the pilot light.

A pensioner living next door gained access to the house upon hearing an explosion and with the help of others rescued the puppy from the blaze.

Mary Jordan, aged 86-years, revealed that she was worried for the dog's safety.

"I was sitting with my daughter when we felt the floor shake and heard a loud bang," she told the Evening Times.

"I was panicking when I went into the house but I had to rescue Charlie."

Elsewhere, a seven-month-old Staffordshire terrier successfully recovered from an operation to remove a plastic duck he had swallowed while chewing it.