How we risked our lives to save dogs in rescue centre blaze

Mr Dyer, 41, told how he was chatting on the doorstep with his family when he spotted smoke billowing from the dogs home at about 7pm on Thursday evening.

Dropping everything, he shouted to his stepson and nephew to follow him, and began vaulting over garden fences towards the blazing building.

As they got closer, the trio could hear panicked yelps from the dogs in their cages. By the time Mr Dyer arrived, followed by Mr Vere, 25, and Mr Rostock, 25, the fire had already destroyed part of the kennels reserved for dogs ready for adoption.

Despite the intense flames and smoke, the three men ran to the front desk and grabbed armfuls of dog leads. As they ran towards the cages, the heat was shattering nearby windows, leaving broken glass strewn on the floor.

Some of the dogs were barking in panic. Others were cowering in their cages. There were huskies there, pitbulls, terriers, poodles, and Leo, a two-year-old bichon fris.

Without keys to let the terrified animals out, Mr Dyer and his helpers began kicking at the cages to force them open. As the three men raced back and forth, the flames licked their way along the line of kennels.

The three of us just dropped everything and jumped over three 10ft high fences and got into the premises, recalled Mr Dyer, We got in and just started kicking the cages open.

It was a nightmare. There was so much going on and in the back on your mind you knew there were dogs being burned alive in there.

We didnt see them burning, thank God, because that would have been an image I would never have erased from my mind.

The part of the building those poor dogs were in was collapsed and totally in ruin by this point nothing could have survived that.

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How we risked our lives to save dogs in rescue centre blaze