JAMIE Jeffries says he probably wouldn’t be alive today if not for his dog Jet.
On this day in 1997, then 12-year-old Jamie and his 14-month-old pup Jet made the front page of the Northwich Guardian.
Jet had saved her owner’s life when she woke him up after his electric blanket caught fire as he slept.
The family’s home on Greenbank Lane went up in flames, with Jamie’s room ravaged by the blaze, but thanks to Jet no-one was hurt.
“I probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Jet,” said Jamie, now 39.
Before the fire, Jamie and his family had been to watch a celebrity football match at Wincham Park.
The match, which featured the likes of former Manchester City defender Paul Power and Coronation Street star Michael Le Vell, raised money for the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
However, what started as one of the most exciting nights in Jamie’s young life took a frightening turn once he returned home.
“I went to bed and the next thing I knew my dog was jumping up and down on my bed,” Jamie said.
“I woke up and my room was full of smoke but I went to the toilet not thinking much of it, and then soon after it all went up in flames.
“Luckily I had been able to wake my brother and sister up and my parents.”
He added: “My bedroom was completely ruined, there was nothing left.”
Sadly, Jet died just a few months after the fire.
Jamie, a gardener, now lives in Barnton with his new dog, Rusty - a chocolate Labrador.
It is understood the fire had been started by an electric blanket.
Quoted in the Northwich Guardian article from March 5, 1997, firefighter Eric Davies said: “This incident could have been so much worse.”
Jamie’s dad Nigel, who sadly died last year, said: “We were so lucky to get out.
“I dread to think what would have happened, especially to Jamie, if Jet hadn’t raised the alarm.
“We were just so relieved and glad that we all got out alive.
“I can’t thank the fire brigade enough, they were wonderful.”
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