Two dogs die in house fire after cigarette left lit on settee

Two dogs have died in a severe house fire in Stoke-on-Trent caused by a lit cigarette.

The blaze broke out in a two bedroom terraced property on Bond Street at 4.20am today.

It is thought that an occupant had dropped a lit cigarette end or hot embers from an ashtray on to the settee in a sitting room at the rear of the house before going upstairs to bed.

Two occupants in the house had to be rescued by firefighters, who smashed windows to get to them.

The Staffordshire Bull Terriers perished in the blaze, and died from smoke inhalation.

Staffordshire Fire & Rescue say both the man and woman were taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

The Service is urging people not to smoke inside but, if they do, to ensure that cigarettes are completely extinguished and disposed of in a safe manner.

Station Manager Neil Pedersen, who was at the incident, said: