TWO dogs have been rescued from a Pickering house fire.

The fire started in the kitchen of a ground floor flat on Southgate in Pickering yesterday morning.

Fitted fire alarms went off and a neighbour called emergency services.

Fire services got the call at 10.14 am, and crews from Pickering and Kirkbymoorside attended.

On arrival, they entered the property in breathing apparatus and found two dogs - one of which was a Jack Russell - and rescued them from the flat.

A spokesperson said that the fire caused "extensive fire damage to the kitchen and severe smoke damage to the rest of the ground floor."

Firemen tackled the blaze with two hose reel jets, then used a thermal image camera to check for hotspots.

The dogs were left in the care of a vet.

The spokesperson added that the cause of the fire is believed to be accidental - possibly a faulty toaster.