Cats 'sleep through' Biggleswade cattery barn explosion

Fire crews were unable to save the barn at the cattery complex

A barn at a cattery was destroyed in a blaze when 30 gas cylinders exploded.

Fire broke out at the Biggleswade Cat Lodge in Dunton Lane on Tuesday night but cats "holidaying" near the barn were non-plussed and "slept through".

A member of the family which runs the cattery said all the animals were fine but "got upset when people kept checking on them".

Crews from Bedfordshire Fire Service were unable to save the burning barn.

The service wrote on Twitter: "Crews did their best to cool and extinguish flames, but 30 gas cylinders of various sizes were involved in the fire and most of the building was destroyed."

The sign for the cattery can be seen on the right

Responding to concerns on social media about explosions in the area of the cattery, a family member wrote: "There is a fire at my parents' in one of [their] barns on Dunton Lane - Biggleswade Cat Lodge.

"All cats in the cattery are safe and have been checked on multiple times, and are being looked after."

She said family members had been evacuated from their house, but were unhurt.

"The cats slept through the whole thing [and] got upset when people kept checking on them," she added.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said on Twitter the cause of the fire was accidental.

The cats were not being housed in the barn which caught fire