A FOUR-LEGGED fire alarm has been given the credit for saving the lives of a North Craven family.

Ben, a four-year-old golden labrador, came to the rescue of his owner Jean Davey and her family by alerting them to a fire in their home.

Jean, of Croft House in Newby, near Clapham, told the Herald: "It was early on Bank Holiday Monday when it happened and Ben came upstairs, which he never does normally, and put his nose in my hand when I was asleep in bed.

"He started crying and I thought he might want to go out, so I went to my bedroom door and opened it to find the corridor was full of smoke."

Jean, 51, an art teacher for Craven College in Bentham, said her husband James, 48, her son, John, and his friend Michael Birch, both 14, were also asleep in the house at the time.

She continued: "When I got onto the landing I couldn't breathe because of this horrible smoke. It was like a grey and yellow mist.

"I phoned 999 and two fire engines came out and were at the house straight away. The house was just full of smoke and it looks like the fire started in the utility room because they found this plastic box which had melted into the floor."

Jean, who suffers from asthma, added: "It was so strange that Ben had come up to the bedroom because he's always been told to stay in his bed.

"We actually could not smell the smoke until Ben came in. It was very frightening and if we hadn't got out it could have choked us.

"A fire officer told me that if he had not come up to wake us it could have been bad because of the smoke fumes."

She went on: "Because it's an old 17th century timber farmhouse, it would have gone up in flames like anything if we hadn't have realised.

"What was even more amazing was the fact that while we were waiting for the fire engines to come, the dog was apparently up in the village barking at nothing at all. I think he had probably gone to try and tell people."

Jean added that they had taken Ben for a check-up at the vets, who had given him a clean bill of health.

"We're all okay, actually, thanks to him and we're just all very grateful to Ben."

Assistant divisional officer at Skipton, Stuart Stoney, said they believed the blaze started after a washing basket was set alight in the utility room.

"It was a good job that the dog woke them up as the smoke could have been quite dangerous coming from a plastic washing basket," he said

He also reiterated the importance of having smoke alarms fitted to properties.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.