Man and dogs killed in house fire

Fire crews from five towns attended the scene

One person has died and another has been injured in a house fire in Devon.

Emergency services were called to the fire at Crosslands Cottages, at Colyton, near Seaton.

The body of a man in his 60s was found in the premises. Six dogs also died. A woman in her 60s escaped from the fire but was treated for smoke inhalation.

By mid-morning, fire crews finished damping down. An adjacent property was largely unaffected. The cause is not being treated as suspicious.

Saving dogs

Fire crews from Axminster, Colyton, Exeter, Exmouth and Honiton were called to the house, Sycamore Cottage in Yardbury Hill, at about 0500 GMT on Thursday.

Whilst the fire was in its early stages the woman managed to escape. But her husband remained upstairs trying to save the lives of their three dogs, one of which had recently given birth to six puppies.

The male was overcome by the fire and was found in the upstairs bedroom with the dead animals.

Police said the fire was not being treated as suspicious and appeared to have been caused by a displaced log from the open fire which was left burning when the couple went to bed.

The woman was taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter for treatment.