‘DRINKERS to rescue as pet shop blazes’.

This was the headline of a story in the Telegraph & Argus on January 2, 1985.

The report began : ‘Regulars at a Bradford pub rescued dozens of animals trapped in a blazing pet shop.’

It told how, on New Year’s Eve 1986, drinkers in The Smithy off Thornton Road rushed to the shop, called In The Swim, as fire threatened to engulf the building and kill the pets.

Station officer Alan Jones told the T&A that when the fire brigade arrived someone had broken the door of the shop and a number of animals had been removed.

“Quite rightly they decided the smoke from the fire threatened the animals and they took action,” he added.

“They took birds, guinea pigs and other animals out. The snakes and more dangerous specimens were in glass cases so they were protected from the smoke and were left alone.

“One fireman was taken to hospital with concussion after an object fell and hit him on the head but his injuries were not serious.”

Station officer Jones said that the fire officer’s helmet saved his life.

Tim Rhodes, landlord of The Smithy, said one of his door staff and several regulars brought animals into the pub after the rescue.

These photographs, capturing the scene, were taken by T&A reader Ray Banyard, who worked in the fire service control room and was alerted to the incident by a colleague.

“It was a cold night, raining hard, and it was close to midnight - it wasn’t very pleasant. I saw the cages being taken out by the fire officers, with animals and birds in them. I could clearly see rabbits in one of them.

“There was a lot of smoke, it was rising through the roof of the building.”

In one of his photographs a brightly coloured parrot can be seen in one cage and a white bird - possibly a cockatiel in another.

“There were four pumps in attendance, two from Nelson Street, one from Fairweather Green and possibly one from Odsal,” said Ray, whose former colleague and friend sub officer Joe Greig was present on the job.

One of his photographs shows a fire officer manning a breathing apparatus control board.

Another, taken at the rear of the stone-built shop, in Southgate,shows the large amount of smoke pouring out of the roof of the building.

Ray did not know whether all the pets escaped unharmed, but it is clear that many did.

“They did not find out how the fire started,” added Ray.

The shop is long gone. It was located in the area where Provident Financial and Jurys Inn now stand.

*Do you remember In the Swim, or any other Bradford shops that no longer exist?

Email your memories and pictures to helen.mead@nqyne.co.uk