FIREFIGHTERS saved the lives of two rats by giving them oxygen after they were trapped in a house fire.

The pets had to be rescued when smoke from a chip pan fire spread from the kitchen upstairs to their cage in a bedroom.

The rats - named Harrison Ford and Bruce Willis - shared a cage with a hamster, which was unaffected.

Harrison is still suffering from smoke inhalation, but Bruce recovered.

They were rescued by firefighters who put out the kitchen fire at Conifer Grove, Bridgemary, Gosport.

The apparently lifeless creatures were then brought back to life with oxygen administered by the firefighters, much to the relief of owner Gareth Quint, 12.

Gareth's father, long-distance coach driver Stephen, 44, said: "The fire brigade lads were great. They were more than happy to go up to the animals when we said they were upstairs.

"They took the mask off the oxygen pipe and waved it over their faces. One of them is still ill, but we thought they might be dead. The other is perfectly okay. Gareth is very grateful and so are we.

"He adores his rats it would have broken his heart if they had died.''

Rob Young, Fareham Sub Fire Officer, said: "The lad was very worried about his pets and we checked them out when we'd finished downstairs.

"We found them sluggish and wheezing and we came to the rescue because we are very happy to help with animals, it is no problem when we are on the scene.

"They could have died even from the slightest smoke because they only have small lungs.

"The only way to treat little creatures with oxygen therapy is to waft oxygen over their nose.

"You can't squirt it into their mouths or give them mouth-to-mouth.

"It has been done before by other brigades to various pets, but not by us before and luckily there was a happy ending. The boy was very happy with us.''

The fire was caused by an unattended cooking chip-pan. The pan was switched on accidentally in the kitchen while the householders were having a barbecue in the garden.

Mr Quint and wife Bridget, 40, a nurse, were enjoying a barbecue with Gareth and second son Kit, 16, to celebrate completing decorating when the fire devastated their kitchen and caused severe smoke damage to the hallway and upstairs. The fire was only discovered when Gareth went indoors for a drink.

Smoke alarms sounded, but were not heard in the garden.