Pugsley is in the doghouse after setting fire to his owner's home - twice.

Eastern Daily Press: Laura Gaunt now has other damaged stock after her dog Pugsley managed to set fire to her house causing smoke damage. PHOTO BY SIMON FINLAYLaura Gaunt now has other damaged stock after her dog Pugsley managed to set fire to her house causing smoke damage. PHOTO BY SIMON FINLAY (Image: ARCHANT NORFOLK)

Laura Gaunt, 30, returned to her home in Mulbarton yesterday to find that the beloved family pet had set fire to her kitchen.

Seeing the smoke as she approached her house in Ryefield Road, Ms Gaunt looked through the window and saw the flames. She said: 'I saw it and just thought, oh no, my house.'

She said: 'Pugsley must have jumped up in the kitchen to get something off of the work surface, probably food, and turned on the electric hob which had a toaster and clothes nearby and the oven must have just went bang.

'The dog did it before about six weeks ago, but luckily the kitchen door was shut or it could have been worse, this time it was open and there was smoke everywhere. All of the walls are black.' Fire crews, one from Carrow and another from Earlham, were called at around 2pm to reports of a kitchen fire.

Ms Gaunt told them that two of her pets, a cat and dog, were still in the house.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the flames using hose reels and hand appliances before trying to clear the smoke. They also used a thermal imaging camera to check for hot spots. Emergency services were at the address for more than two hours.

Just 10 days after Christmas, Laura Gaunt is now having to redecorate her home, buy a new oven and some of the stock from her fashion business, Adore Boutique X, has been damaged by the smoke.

She added: 'I will have to get someone in as soon as possible to put everything back to how it was, but it's ok, I'm just glad no one was in the house, that is all that matters, we were very lucky.'

The animals were not hurt during the fire, although Pugsley may have landed himself in hot water for the foreseeable future.

'He is not in my good books, that is for sure,' she said.

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