A HERO firefighter has told how he saved the life of a dog after a “nightmare” blaze ripped through kennels in Little Hulton.

Four other dogs died in the fire at a house in Kenyon Way, which started after one of the 14 dogs housed in wooden kennels in the garden knocked over a heat lamp which set fire to straw on the floor.

Ian Murray, crew manager at Atherton fire station, nursed a tiny Chihuahua back to life using an oxygen mask after it was pulled from the flames but was not breathing.

The married father-of-two, who lives in Astley, said: “You administer oxygen in the same way as you would for a child – we have small oxygen masks for infants which we can also use on dogs and cats.

“I have never carried out oxygen therapy on a dog before but because he was so tiny I had to be gentle.

“I put the mask on him and worked for about five minutes, and thankfully he came round.”

Crew manager Murray, aged 36, has one dog himself – Millie, a cocker spaniel. He added: “It was awful for the family – they were all very upset.

“Dogs are like members of your family, so I am really pleased I managed to revive him.”

Another dog — an eight-month-old terrier — had no heartbeat when it was rescued from its kennel but was saved after Farnworth firefighter Dale Chetto gave it CPR.

He said: “He was only small, I could hold him in my hand, and when I first pulled him out I could not feel a pulse.

“Giving heart massage is exactly the same as you would do with a human. I was doing this for about five minutes until I started feeling a beat in his chest.

“After he had the oxygen for a while I could sense he was breathing on his own, and he eventually started coming round.”

Fifteen firefighters spent two hours tackling the fire, leaving the scene about 9.15pm on Sunday.

The family of two adults and six children who live in the property managed to get themselves out before the blaze, which damaged the house’s back door and window, took hold.

They were too upset to comment.

Neighbour Richard Singleton, aged 39, was the first person on the scene and kicked down the door of the kennels in a bid to rescue the dogs before fire crews arrived.

He used a hosepipe to tackle the ferocious flames, which were so high they could be seen over the roof of the house, and managed to drag six dogs to safety.

Mr Singleton’s wife Jean said: “I was hysterical. You could hear the dogs screaming and howling — that’s what got to us all the most. It was terrifying. A nightmare.

“I have seen fires before but nothing as horrendous as this.

“All my husband could think about was getting the dogs out — he didn’t think about his own safety. He kicked the kennel door down.

“He has a little burn under his eye but he’s ok, although he’s too emotional to speak. He should get some recognition for what he’s done. He’s a hero. I’m so proud of him.”

Neighbour mum-of-two Lindsey Cope, aged 43, said: “I was really worried about the fire spreading but the firefighters were brilliant — especially the way they brought two dogs round with the oxygen. Everybody is still in shock.”

John Duffin, watch manager at Farnworth fire station, said: “There are always lots of flammable materials in kennels, such as dry straw and try wood, so the fire ripped through all the structures pretty quickly.

“Unfortunately, we have had fires where there have been dog fatalities before.

“The type of structures you find dogs in are usually very quick to burn, and once they start burning there is nowhere for the animals to go.”