Pet tortoise set house on fire

A couple returned home to find their house had been set on fire by their tortoise.
Emma Fox had brought 70-year-old Fred inside when the pet came out of hibernation early.

Emma, 30, and partner Paul Butler, 45, left Fred – a female – in a tank under a heat lamp to keep her warm enough to stay alive.



But Fred piled her dry straw under the lamp and it caught alight, spreading flames through the house.

Emma – who also has a dog and two baby tortoises – said: “We were out shopping when we got a call from the fire brigade saying that our tortoise had set the house on fire.

“There’s a lot of smoke damage. We need to replace all our furniture and front door, but all our animals survived. It could have been worse.”