A COUPLE were forced to flee their home in their pyjamas when a blaze broke out in the early hours of last Friday morning.

Firefighters from across West Somerset were called to the property in Quay Street, Minehead, just before 1.30am and initially feared the occupants could be trapped in the building.

Luckily the couple had escaped and were taken to hospital as a precaution. They were released soon after and made their way back to the scene.

There they were helped by local British Red Cross fire and emergency support service volunteers Bob Weston and Dawn Stevens.

They gave the couple warm clothes and shoes and arranged temporary accommodation for them.

Bob even spent half an hour searching gardens for the couple's pet cat.

"The female occupant was very upset and worried about her cat.

"I was able to establish from fire control that the cat had escaped the fire so I started looking in gardens for it.

"The lady was very distressed and I knew that finding the cat would help calm her.

"I eventually found him and took him back to the support vehicle to be reunited with his owners," Bob said.

The Red Cross team was also able to help the couple's neighbours who had to be evacuated from their homes as a precaution.

"When we arrived it started snowing heavily. We were able to locate the neighbours and get them into our vehicle where we could give them a cup of tea and shelter from the extreme weather," Bob said.

At the height of the fire, crews from Minehead, Williton, Porlock and Nether Stowey, together with a command support unit from Wiveliscombe and an incident support from Taunton were at the scene.

Firefighters struggled to fight the flames in the more inaccessible areas of the property but by 3.45am they were able to scale back their response.

However, those that remained were kept busy locating hotspots and ventilating the property.

By 5.20am just one Minehead crew remained at the scene and investigations began into the cause of the fire.

A Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said the construction of the property had posed some problems and the cause remained "undetermined".

Smoke detectors had been fitted but melted before they could activate.

The spokesman added: "The fire was extinguished using eight breathing apparatus, three hose reel jets and a main jet.

"The fire caused moderate smoke and heat damage to both ground and first floors and the roof space of the property."