A DOG died in a freak blaze at a flat in Rawthorpe.

A faulty mobile phone charger left on a bed has been blamed for the fire.

The charger is believed to have set fire to bedding which smouldered for several hours, filling the flat with choking smoke.

When a woman who lives at the flat returned home she found her dog collapsed.

It is thought she tried to pluck the dog to safety and needed treatment for smoke inhalation herself.

Huddersfield firefighters were called to the maisonette in Brownroyd Avenue at 10.10pm on Tuesday to find the fire had already burned itself out.

The bed was destroyed and the four rooms were heavily smoke damaged.

Watch commander Andy Blackburn, of Huddersfield Fire Station, said it was unusual but not unheard of for phone chargers to start fires.

He said the young woman had gone out in the afternoon and left the charger on her bed.

It overheated and bedding caught alight.

“It was an extremely slow-burning fire,” said Mr Blackburn.

“The windows were smoke-blackened and there was a great deal of smoke damage.”

Mr Blackburn said a smoke detector had sounded in the afternoon but no one had reported it. Internal doors had also been left open.

Mr Blackburn said the fire should serve as a warning to others of the importance of closing doors, particularly when people go to bed.

“It is good advice to always close room doors,” he said.

“In case of fire it limits the damage and reduces the spread of smoke. I would say it’s essential to close all doors when you go to bed.”

Mr Blackburn said the fire in the bedroom had used up all the oxygen in the room and burned itself out.

Paramedics attended and the woman was treated for the effects of smoke.

Mr Blackburn added: “It is devastating for this to happen so close to Christmas. It is tragic to lose a dog in these circumstances.”

The manufacturer of BlackBerry is investigating after an 11-year-old boy suffered burns to his legs when a mobile phone “exploded” in his bedroom.

Kian McCreath, from Coventry, was taken to hospital after his brother Mason’s BlackBerry Curve 9320 reportedly erupted in flames and set his duvet alight.

The family is now calling for the mobile to be recalled from shops.

His mother Sarah, 39, said she unplugged the phone, which had been on charge, and put it on Kian’s bed.

She said: “I thought nothing of it, made a cup of tea, then I heard a really loud ‘pop’ sound. Kian started screaming at the top of his voice, shouting ‘My bed’s on fire!’.”

Research In Motion (RIM), which produces BlackBerry phones, said it has spoken to the family and is waiting for them to provide the products so they can investigate the incident further.