FIREFIGHTERS have urged residents to fit smoke alarms after two pet cats died in a Clitheroe house fire.

The warning comes after officers tackled a ferocious blaze at a three-storey terrace house, in Bright Street on Monday.

Officers said the house went up in flames after a lit candle was left to burn in the ground floor living room by the elderly woman householder. She only noticed the fire when she came downstairs after doing paperwork in a first floor office.

She saw the smoke, realised the living room settee was on fire and tried to rescue her pets.

After pulling her pet dog out, she went back in to rescue one of her three cats, but couldn't return to find the remaining two cats due to the intense heat and flames.

Both cats died in the blaze.

Dave McGrath, station officer at Clitheroe fire station, said four officers wearing breathing apparatus and two water jets were used to tackle the blaze.

He added: "There wasn't one single smoke alarm in the whole of this three-storey house.

"The woman lived alone and was very lucky to get out of an extremely well-alight fire."