Two dogs killed in bungalow fire in East Bilney this morning

A couple escaped a fire which started in the garage at their home during the night but their two dogs have died in the blaze.

Four fire crews attended the fire at Beech Beck on River Lane in East Bilney, near Dereham, which broke out at about 4.45am.

Fire investigator Simon Mason said Gary and Elaine Southwell, who live at the property, were woken by a loud bang and on looking out of their window saw flames coming from the garage.

'When our crews arrived there was quite a fully involved fire in the garage and it was starting to spread to their bungalow which was attached to the garage by a porch,' he said.

'The crews started work protecting the house before dealing with the garage. There was a lot of smoke damage to the bungalow and it is uninhabitable.

'Sadly the couple's two dogs were sleeping in the porch and they were killed as a result of the fire.

'Mr and Mrs Southwell tried to get through to rescue them but were beaten back by the smoke. It is very unfortunate. You can put a house back together but you can't replace pets.'

The garage was completely destroyed by the fire along with the car that was parked inside. Parts of the roof of the bungalow were also damaged.

Mr Mason said the fire was under control by 5.30am and the last fire crew left at around 9.45am after damping down.

He said: 'We are piecing together all the information to identify the cause but at this stage we are reasonably confident that it is accidental.'

He said a crew would return later to check for any hot spots.