A cat died and several others were rescued by firefighters in a bedroom blaze in Crawley.
The fire in Silchester Drive, Gossops Green, broke out shortly after 9pm.
Sub Officer Frank Pickett said: "On arrival there was a severe fire in the first floor bedroom but we quickly brought the blaze under control and rescued the owners' cats."
Mr Pickett praised the owners for closing the bedroom door which stopped the fire from spreading throughout the house.
He said: "However, the smoke detector failed to operate."
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