UK Firefighters Save Over 100 Pets From a House on Fire

London: Over 100 pets, including dogs, cats, parrots and iguanas have been saved by firefighters after a blaze broke out at a British couple's three-bedroom home that also killed four pets in Southampton.

Crews calmed six frightened guard dogs before leading dozens of other animals to a safe room in the terraced house.

Two of the dogs were resuscitated by firefighters using oxygen masks, but four animals - a dog, cat, ferret and a bird could not be saved after they were overcome by smoke, The Guardian reported.

The husband and wife were in the house at the time of fire breakout, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said. One person led some of the dogs to safety and the other was treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation.

Emergency services were called to the Redbridge area of the city on Saturday morning when a neighbour noticed the fire.

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When fire crews arrived at the house, they found an enormous menagerie of pets, including dogs, cats, parrots, chickens, turkeys, ducks, two iguanas, a chameleon, 11 tortoises, mice, rats, guinea pigs, ferrets and rabbits, some of which lived in the garden.

Firefighters rounded up some of the animals and moved them to safety in a room away from the blaze before they doused the fire.

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Jason Brattle, the watch manager in charge of the scene, said: "Crews worked extremely hard to control the fire whilst being faced with an unusual situation involving so many animals."

A fire service spokeswoman said: "We believe these were all domestic pets. They may have bred some animals but as far as we are aware they are domestic pets. No animals are missing."

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The cause of the fire is unknown but the house had no smoke detectors, the fire service said.