Family pet dies in house fire

A family pet has died in a house fire which started in a kitchen. Fire firefighters were called to a property in Derby Road, Kegworth, at just before 3pm, today. Crews from Loughborough who attended the incident found on their arrival that the occupants had already managed to escape unhurt. Firefighters used breathing gear to enter the house and tackle the fire, which had spread to a neighbouring property through a roof cavity. A fire service spokeswoman said: "All persons were accounted for on arrival, however, it was discovered a dog had died inside the house." She added: "We requested help from the police as the M1 motorway is less than a mile away and there were some problems with traffic slowing down due to smoke and curiosity." The kitchen and first floor stairs of the house were severely damaged in the fire. The cause is under investigation.