A KOMODO dragon had to be evacuated after a house fire in Darwen.

A man was also taken to hospital after the fire started in Prince Street just before 7am on Friday morning.

The fire, which caused extensive spoke damage to the house, was thought to have started in a terrarium in a downstairs room.

Two fire engines were sent to the incident.

Watch manager Tony Keane said: “On arrival the occupant had removed his komodo dragon and evacuated to safety.

“Firefighters used a hose reel to extinguish the fire and a thermal image camera to inspect the area.

“The terrarium was removed from the property and kitchen checked for any fire spread and removal of smoke.

“The occupant stated he had previous problems with the heater, this is consistent with the area the fire started.

“Although this was a small fire the smoke damage was extensive throughout the house demonstrating the value of having smoke detection for early warning of the fire and closing of internal doors to limit smoke spread.”

The man was given oxygen after suffering the effects of inhaling smoke and he was taken to hospital by ambulance as a precaution. 

Mr Keane added: "We come across a lot of things in this job but it is the first dragon for me."