House fire treated as suspicious

A house fire in Londonderry is being treated as suspicious, the fire service has said.

The owner of the house in the Shantallow area of the city was not at home when the fire took hold at 0200 BST on Sunday.

The property at Meenaleck Drive was badly damaged by the flames.

Fire service station officer Brian Martin said a number of animals were in the house at the time.

"There were a number of cats in the house and we managed to rescue three of those cats.

"A team using breathing apparatus gained entry, rescued three cats," he said.

"Unfortunately prior to our arrival two cats had already died of smoke inhalation."

Police have launched an investigation into the exact cause of the fire.