Cat saved from house fire 'started by dog'

Herbie is believed to have started the fire when he jumped on a worktop and accidentally turned on a toaster

A dog is thought to have started a fire at a home in Kent.

The dog escaped the blaze in Margate with the family's 12-year-old son, but their cat had to be rescued by firefighters.

It is thought Herbie the dog started the fire by jumping on a work top at the house in Brooke Avenue and accidentally switching on a toaster.

The boy was alerted by the house's smoke alarm.

The fire caused extensive damage to the home

Mush the cat was found unconscious between two pillows.

She was resuscitated using a pet oxygen mask.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service said it has been called to 28 kitchen fires linked to pets in the last three years.

Mush the cat was found unconscious but revived by firefighters

Area manager for customer safety Suzanna Chisholm said: “The swift actions of this young man undoubtedly made a huge difference to the outcome of this incident, saving his pets and preventing further damage to his home.

"It goes to show how important working smoke alarms are.

“To help reduce the chance of electrical fires we advise everyone to switch off and unplug electrical items off when not in use, which will also prevent pets, or children, accidentally turning them on.

"People can also close their kitchen door when not in the room, if they have one, to make sure pets don’t jump up and knock switches, like cooker knobs.”