Waffle the dog rescued from Essex kitchen fire

Firefighters rescued a dog from a kitchen fire - before helping it recover with a pet-friendly oxygen mask.

Crews were called to the fire in Stanstrete Field in Braintree, Essex, just after 6.30pm on Thursday when neighbours heard the smoke alarms going off.

As they entered through the window, they found Waffle the cockapoo trapped in the house.

Using the pet oxygen mask, crews were able to rescue Waffle who was suffering with smoke inhalation.

Matthew Nash, watch manager, said: "We’d like to thank the neighbours who heard the smoke alarm sounding and rang us immediately. This allowed our crews to get there quickly, extinguish the fire and rescue Waffle.

"Once we got Waffle outside we could see it was subdued and suffering the effects of smoke inhalation.

"We quickly applied the specialist pet oxygen masks that we carry on our fire engines to give Waffle oxygen. After a few minutes you could tell there was a significant improvement.”

"The fire started when the hob was accidentally switched on and caused items on top of it to set alight.

"We can’t say it enough, please do not leave items on top of your hob. We attend so many incidents where people have used the hob as a storage area and items have set alight, it’s just not worth the risk."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...