A PET dog has died in a blaze at a remote bungalow at Denton near Canterbury.

The blaze broke out at the property in Lodge Lees Road shortly after 10pm on Monday while the owners were out visiting neighbours.

It was spotted by local farmer, Bob Akehurst who raised the alarm and helped lead fire tenders to the house.

The fire is thought to have started in the conservatory and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus fought the blaze which spread to part of the main building including a utilty room and a bedroom. But they could not save the owners’ border collie.

The cause is thought to have been a candle left alight in the conservatory.

Firefighters praised Mr Akehurst for his help in locating the remote house which they said saved valuable time.

Aylesham retained firefighter Paul Dennis said: “We received a message via our control centre that Mr Akehurst would be outside Barham post office in his Land Rover with his hazard lights on and would lead us to the bungalow which was not on our maps.

“He was also able to point us towards the nearest water hydrant and open a water source from a nearby lake, which meant we were able to tackle the fire more quickly.”

Mr Akehurst said: “My actions were part of a protocal that we have in place here among local residents for dealing with any emergency situation because the lane is difficult to find and the post office is a good rendezvous point.”

At the height of the fire, appliances from Aylesham, Canterbury, Wingham and Sturry were at the scene.

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A BORDER collie dog has been killed in a house blaze but firefighters say the incident would have been much worse had it not been for the quick thinking of a local resident.

When Bob Akehurst noticed a fire had broken out in Lodge Lees Road at Denton, near Canterbury, just after 10pm on Monday he quickly alerted the emergency services and, realising the house would be difficult to find, arranged to meet fire crews and guide them to the scene.

Aylesham retained firefighter Paul Dennis said: “We received a message via our control operators that a Landrover would be waiting at nearby Barham post office with hazard warning lights flashing, and we were able to follow it to the house which was in remote rural area and not on any maps.”

Mr Akehurst said: “My actions were part of a protocol that we have in place here amongst local residents for dealing with any emergency situation, because the lane is very difficult to find and the post office serves as a good rendezvous point.

"I would recommend the system to any communities leaving in a rural or remote location.”

Mr Akehurst was also able point out the nearest water hydrant and open water source from a nearly lake, which meant crews were able to start tackling the blaze very quickly.

At its height fire appliances from Aylesham, Canterbury, Wingham, Sturry and a water unit from Ashford attended the incident, and Mr Akehurst continued to drive back and forth, leading each appliance to the scene.

Mr Dennis added: “This man saved us valuable time and, without his efforts, the fire could have spread further and the entire building may have been lost. As it was, firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were able to enter the building and crews worked really hard to contain the blaze and keep damage to a minimum.”

It is believed the fire started in a conservatory and was most likely caused by a candle which had been left burning while the homeowners were celebrating a birthday with neighbours.

Firecrews were unable to save the border collie and the downstairs conservatory, utility room and a first floor bedroom were damaged by fire. The rest of the property was heavily smoke-damaged.

Head of community fire safety Stuart Skilton said: “Despite the invaluable help of Mr Akehurst, the death of a family pet was a very unfortunate outcome to this incident and clearly highlights the importance of ensuring candles are fully extinguished and are never left unattended.”