The owner of a lizard admitted it had a “lucky escape” when it was saved by firefighters after the vivarium the creature was homed in set on fire this week.

Although the fire was not visible from outside the property in Hithercroft Road, Downley, nearby residents raised the alarm when a smoke alarm went off.

After racing to the scene, firefighters entered the property shortly after 9.15pm, Sunday, January 11, after they opened the letterbox to the property and smelt smoke coming from inside.

They later realised the fire was started because of a wiring fault at the back of Nigel the Leopard Gecko’s vivarium.

Following the fire, the homeowner, Mark Bentley, who was not in the property at the time, said: “The fire has not left much damage, but just a bit of cleaning up to do.

“However, the firefighters said had they not been alerted as quickly as they were it could have been a lot worse.

“I suppose in a way we were unlucky it happened in the first place, but on the other side of it we are very lucky it was not a lot worse. And the gecko also had a lucky escape.”

Watch commander Stuart Grosse, from High Wycombe Fire Station, said: “The burning wiring dripped on to the carpet, which caught the carpet alight.

“The carpet burned slowly around the back and side of the wooden cabinet that held the vivarium.

“The area of burning carpet had been confined by the cabinet and walls, but the fire had just started to expand into the main part of the bedroom, so I believe it would only have got worse.

“It was definitely the smoke alarm which saved the day - and the gecko also survived.”

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus put out the fire with a hose reel.

He added: “Although the fire had been burning for quite a while, amazingly there was very little damage in the bedroom.

“There was a scorch mark on the wall, some burn marks to the wooden cabinet that the vivarium was on, a small but expanding area of burnt carpet and light smoke-logging throughout the first floor of the house.”

Bucks Fire and Rescue Service offers free safety checks to identify potential fire risks in your home and help you minimise them.

The checks include free smoke alarms and free installation. For more information call 01296 744477 or email cs@bucksfire.gov.uk