Teenager saved from blaze by his rottweiler

A teenager rescued from a burning house has told how his pet dog saved his life after he had been knocked unconscious. Carl McMahon's Rottweiler Lennox stayed by his side in black smoke so thick that visibility was almost nil at his sister's home in Stevenson Street West, Accrington.

And Lennox's yelps helped firefighters quickly locate Mr McMahon, 19, of Central Avenue, Oswaldtwistle, at around 3am yesterday. He was carried outside and resuscitated in the street by paramedics, before being taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital for a check up.

Mr McMahon said he was staying at the house, which belongs to his sister Kath McMahon, after having an argument with his girlfriend. He said he returned to the house at 2.30am after drinking with friends and decided to put some beef burgers under the grill of the cooker.



After returning to the front door of the house to chat with friends, he realised that smoke was pouring from the kitchen and went to see what the problem was.

He said: "I could see the smoke but as I went back in the cooker exploded in my face and knocked me out. I was just on the floor out cold."

"My two sisters and their kids were upstairs at the time but they managed to get out. They could smell the smoke and hear the smoke alarm and just made sure they got the children out of the house. I don't know whether I'll be allowed to stay again."