A Very Good Boy helped to save his owner's life in a fire.

Firefighters from Yeovil were sent to a house in the town after a Careline fire alarm sent a warning.

The smoke detector had been activated so the Careline operator called the house owner, Mr Green.

However, the operator soon lost communication with him.

Within six minutes, the fire crew was on scene and investigating.

They could hear the alarm but were unable to make contact with Mr Green inside.

The curtains were drawn so the team couldn't see inside but could hear a dog barking.

They tried the front door, but it wouldn’t open.

As the crew looked for another way in, they heard a 'click' - and the front door opened!

The crew went inside to find Mr Green man collapsed on the floor in the kitchen whilst fire was beginning to take hold on the cooker.

They contacted the ambulance service, extinguished the fire and ventilated the property.

They then carried out first aid and stabilised Mr Green until paramedics arrived.

It wasn’t until later in the incident that they discovered that Mr Green's dog, Chi Chi, had managed to open the front door and let them in.

South West Farmer: Firefighters Ryan Luffman and Elsie Emery with Crew Manager John Wenglorz with Mr Green and Chi ChiFirefighters Ryan Luffman and Elsie Emery with Crew Manager John Wenglorz with Mr Green and Chi Chi

Ian Bolton, crew manager for home and partnerships at Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said: "Having monitored detection in people’s homes means the fire service are only minutes away from providing lifesaving assistance.

"This is a real success story and highlights the importance of joint working between Careline and the fire service.

"Careline’s system, combined with the speed of our crews getting to the incident, saved Mr Green’s life.

"The cherry on the cake, however, was Chi Chi letting the crews in before they had to force entry to the property.”