Man rescued from blaze

A man and his dog have been rescued from a fire in Londonderry.

A passer-by spotted smoke coming from a flat at Melrose Terrace on Friday night and rang the fire brigade.

Assistant Divisional Officer William Lynch said the early call-out undoubtedly saved the lives of the man and his pet.

"We were on the scene in two minutes, we then were able to effect this rescue and thankfully tonight there is someone alive," he said.

"We had to search the rest of the building to make 100% sure there was no-one else there.

"With that search it revealed there was a dog lying in one of the rooms, which we also carried out."

"With the fresh air the dog was able to come round."

Mr Lynch said both the man and his pet had suffered smoke inhalation.