FIREMEN helped a four-legged friend in need when they were called out to a house fire in Bolton last night.

Neighbours in Devonshire Road called the crews after hearing a fire alarm going off in one of the semi-detached houses in the street shortly before 10pm.

Getting in through the front door, teams from Bolton searched the smoke-filled property to see if anyone was inside.

A neighbour told the crew that the owner was out and they contacted him on the phone.

Fortunately the fire was isolated to some logs in the sitting room but the owner told them his cat was inside the property.

Using thermal imaging cameras they pin-pointed the feline in one of the bedrooms and got it safely outside.

Crew manager Phil Dearden explained: “I was talking to the gentleman on the phone and he said he was waiting to get a taxi, and also there was a cat in the house.

“The teams went to look. One of the lads was in the bedroom and stood right next to the cat but couldn’t see because of the smoke. Fortunately the thermal imaging camera picked the cat up.

“The cat was fine and the neighbour took it into her house to care for until he got back.”

The fire was started when some dry wood next to a log burner was ignited by the burner's heat after it had been left on.

There was no further damage to the home but smoke had spread through the house.

Mr Dearden added: “Twenty minutes cleaning, and apart for some damage to the door, it was like we had not been there.”