FIVE pet cats died in a house fire in Bradford early today.

The animals were in a terraced property in Pollard Lane, Undercliffe, where the blaze took hold at about 3.30am.

A spokesman at Bradford fire station said the family-of-three that lived in the house were away at the time.

He added that fire crews were initially told the house was derelict, before someone in the street said people did live there. Firefighters from Bradford and Idle stations then searched the property and found the cats.

"It was heavily smoke-logged and the kitchen and bathroom were on fire," said the spokesman. "There was no-one in there, but sadly five pet cats have died."

He said the property had no working smoke alarms.

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"The kitchen and bathroom were destroyed - the bathroom is above the kitchen, where the fire started - and every room in the house is black with thick smoke," he said.

Fire crews were at the scene until about 6.45am. They will return today to give fire safety advice to people in the area.

Volunteers from the Red Cross are working with the family - believed to be a mum and two children - to find them temporary accommodation.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, but fire crews believe a fridge-freezer was to blame.