A FAMILY of nine had a lucky escape when a smoke alarm alerted them to a blaze in the kitchen of their Ryedale home.

The family – which included seven children – evacuated the house to safety, but fire crews had to rescue their pet Springer Spaniel, which was given oxygen therapy before being reunited with its owners.

A North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (NYFRS) spokesman said: “The family had a fortunate escape and this was believed to be due to the fact that their smoke alarm alerted them to this and they were able to get out before the smoke became too dense within the property.”

The incident happened in a two-storey end terrace property in Station Way, Malton, at about 5.35am yesterday, when the householder called the fire brigade.

Fire crews managed to extinguish the blaze, which destroyed some clothes that had been left to dry on a heater in the kitchen, by 6.50am yesterday. The fire also caused smoke damage to the room and throughout the rest of the property. A spokeswoman said the cause of the blaze was clothing being left too close to a heat source, and was accidental.

No one was injured in the blaze, and the dog was “virtually unharmed”.

Fire chiefs today urged property owners to ensure they had smoke alarms fitted, and to check that the devices were working.