THE public is being reminded of fire safety over the festive period after a 17-year-old girl and a dog were rescued from the bedroom of a burning house in Warminster on Monday morning.

Fire crews from Warminster, Westbury and Trowbridge were called to the fire on Southleigh View just after 9am.

The fire, which is thought to have started in the kitchen spread rapidly and the crews rescued the girl who was trapped in a back bedroom.

She was taken to Bath RUH to be treated after inhaling a large amount of smoke.

A dog was also rescued from the living room and treated at the scene before being taken to a local vets.

The home owner and mother of the girl who was rescued, Rachel Evans who was at work at the time, has warned others of the dangers of accidental fires.

She said: “I was in complete shock, you don’t think this will happen.

“You must be so careful when it comes to fire safety.

“The fire crews were just amazing, thank god for their bravery.”

Station Manager Darren Nixon said: “The property didn’t have working smoke alarms so, had this fire started at night, the outcome could have been far worse.

“Colleagues in Fire Control were able to advise the young woman in the house, making sure she closed the door of the bedroom and blocked the gap with bedding.

“They then made sure that she was by the window so that firefighters could carry out an immediate rescue on arrival.”

“There was a great joint effort with Wiltshire Police and South Western Ambulance Service to help the family dog, getting it resuscitated and transported to the local vet for treatment.”