A FAMILY who lost everything in a house fire were delighted when their pet rat escaped with only singed whiskers.

Victoria Hutchinson and her children, Dylan, nine, Kayleigh, eight, Aimee, seven, Olivia and Laura, three, and Levi, 18 months, were left homeless by the fire.

The family was rehoused in a three-bedroomed house in Cramlington, Northumberland. Nine-year-old Dylan thought his two pet rats were dead.

One, called Spot, was found dead, but days after the fire, Stripe was found in a garden.

Ms Hutchinson thanked neighbours and praised the council for its swift response in getting them re-homed.

The fire broke out on Bank Holiday Monday when Olivia, playing with a lighter she had found, lit a baby wipe which dropped on to a quilt on the settee.

The front door and windows in the house were open, which firefighters said created a backdraft that led to the two-storey terraced house exploding in a fireball.

Babysitter, Tracy Anchors, 24, was able to get Olivia to safety. The rest of the family were out at the time.