A family have recalled how they battled smoke and heat to rescue a neighbour’s beloved pets from a devastating blaze that gutted four homes.

Fire crews were called to Walter Close in West Swindon at 3.15pm on July 14 after adiscarded cigarette - thought to have been flicked by a passer-by - started the huge fire.

Sarah Francis, 51, said she had just got home from work at the Royal Mail when she realised her neighbour's garden was ablaze and the fire was quickly spreading to the house itself.

After helping to rescue the gentleman and his dog from his home, Sarah heard barking coming from next door, which was also alight - and her family immediately jumped into action to rescue them.

Sarah’s husband Dave Francis, 54, realised beloved chihuahuas Buddy and Teddy were trapped as their owner Sharon Scanlon was at work and so placed a ladder under an open upstairs window and dived in to rescue them.  

“It was completely black upstairs," Dave said. "I couldn’t see a thing."

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After finding Buddy, Dave went back in to continue his search for Teddy, despite his daughter Kerrie'sfears. Sarah quickly followed, finding the chihuahua hiding behind the kitchen door.

Sarah said: “We had to go in, or those dogs would have been dead. The smoke would have killed them.”

After passing the dogs out the window and leaving the burning building themselves, Sarah’s daughter Kerrie Francis and her partner Josh Stott, both 25, grabbed leashes and made sure the dogs were safe.

By that point, the fire brigade had arrived on the scene.

“It was all a bit of a blur, it happened so quickly,” Dave said.

“After that, they evacuated us all just in case, but it got scary because the flames started coming out the side and we thought they might catch onto the next row of houses,” Sarah added.

Before rescuing Sharon’s dogs, the family had first tried to help John, who they were very close to. They found him being helped from his home by fellow neighbour Dean Dawson, who also rescued John’s golden retriever Daisy.

Buddy and Teddy have now been reunited with Sharon and Dave claims that she “was very grateful and gave them a big hug".

“They’d have done the same for us,” he said.

Since the incident, those affected have received an avalanche of support from the community.

A fundraising page has been set up by Caroline McGregor, which has so far raised £1,300, to help her neighbours. Donate at www.gofundme.com/f/6tjcy-help-our-neighbours