A TERRIFIED dog had to be saved from a burning house by firemen early this morning.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier was rescued from a house in Oakbrook Close, Bromley, after a fire broke out at 1am.

The occupier of the house had escaped before the brigade arrived, but had not been able to find her dog.

Crews entered the house and found the animal hiding under a pile of clothes underneathe a bed in an upstairs bedroom.

One of the firemen who attended the scene, said: "He was pretty frightened and we had a bit of a job getting to him but his hiding place managed to keep most of the smoke away from him."

The ground floor of the terraced house was severely damaged in the fire, which is not thought to have been suspicious.

Two engines from Bromley and Downham fire stations had the flames under control within 10 minutes and the cause of the fire is now under investigation.

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: "The house did have a smoke alarm but the battery had been taken out.

"We want to push the message across that every house must have a working smoke alarm.

"If the battery had been in this alarm, it could have saved lots of damage to the house.

"The occupier was very lucky that she had managed to wake up and get out of the house without having an alarm.

"Normally, at that time of the morning the smoke suffocates you as you sleep and you just don't wake up."

If you would like a free smoke alarm fitted in your home, call 08000 284 428.