Pet cat 'saves' owner in house fire in London
A cat woke its owner during a house fire by "meowing in her face", the London Fire Brigade has said.
The woman managed to leave the property in Limehouse before fire crews arrived in the early hours of Friday morning.
A fire brigade spokesman said the home had no working smoke alarm and she was only woken up by her pet.
The woman was treated at scene after inhaling smoke and firefighters took about 30 minutes to put out the blaze which damaged the basement.
Watch Manager Neil Dickinson, who was at the scene, said: "There was no smoke alarm in the house and the owner only woke up because her cat was meowing in her face.
"Meowing cats are no replacement for working smoke alarms and had she not woken up, this incident could have had tragic consequences.
"The woman did the right thing in closing the door to the kitchen where the fire was, which contained the blaze.
"The woman, two dogs and three cats all got out safely."