'I'm lucky to be here' - home destroyed by fire days before Christmas

• Owner describes the moment he saw his home was on fire

A man has said he is in "disbelief and shock" after a fire devastated his home in Devon just four days before Christmas.

David Althorp was woken up by his neighbour's dog barking during the night before he saw an orange glow out of his window.

He then discovered the top floor of his house, which is in Woodbury Salterton, was on fire.

Fire crews and an ambulance were both called but by the time they arrived the house was engulfed in flames.

David was able to rescue two dogs, Loki and Freya, from his house but when he fetched a hose pipe to try to put the fire out himself, he burnt his hand.

"I woke up to see an orange glow out of the bedroom window and rushed to put the fire out, I ended up burning my hand," he said.

"The alarm was actually raised by Mabel our neighbour's dog, she started barking and that woke them up.

"I rushed back in to rescue our two labradors. We got them out and then the fire service were here pretty quickly afterwards.

"I am very relieved that the dogs got out, it was such a shock but the fire crews and the ambulance crews were absolutely fantastic."

David was then taken to hospital but returned to assess the damage with his daughter Alexandra in the morning. He said he is aware of some things which have been lost, including sentimental photo albums of the family.

"I didn't want to come down and look at it but now I am here it has helped with the recovery," he continued.

"I have lost the photo albums in my bedroom of when Alexandra was young and that is a really sad loss.

"I have fantastic neighbours and they have all been really helpful. I am just in disbelief, the shock the grief and the frustration just before Christmas."

David said the situation could have been far worse had he not been woken up by his neighbour's dog.

"Who knows if I hadn't been woken up then I could have been overcome by smoke and not got out," he said.

"You have to try to come to terms with what has happened. Physically I am fine but psychologically I am distressed.

"I am lucky to be here and we have to try and get over these things."

His daughter echoed those words, revealing her relief her father was safe after she received a call telling her his home was on fire.

She said: "I got a call in the night and I am so glad that he went back in and got the dogs out. The dog from next door was barking and woke people up.

"I am just so relieved he is okay, it could have been worse. It is really sad but we are just so grateful that they got out."