A FAMILY has been left devastated after fire ripped through their home – killing their dog and cat.

Joyce Cox and her 18-yearold son Matthew were not at home when the blaze took hold of their flat in Stockton on Wednesday.

Neighbours watched in horror as the fire, which is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault, destroyed the first-floor flat in Marwood Square, shortly before 9pm.

Firefighters took about an hour to get the blaze under control.

Miss Cox said: “I have lost everything. I am distraught. I don’t know what I am going to do. The flat is completely destroyed.”

Her daughter Karen, said: “There is basically nothing left. She has one small box of things, but that is it.

“At the moment, my mum doesn’t want to go back to the flat. The council are hopefully going to give her somewhere else to stay.

“We have been given the keys back so we can get the animals out.”

Initially it was feared Matthew was stuck in the property when he failed to answer his mobile phone, until he was found to be with a friend.

Miss Cox was with family friend Nigel Lockey at the time of the incident.

He said: “We can see the flat from here and saw smoke, but we just thought the neighbour downstairs was having a bonfire.

“Then someone came running over and told Joyce the flat was on fire.”

A neightbour, who asked not to be named, said he was overcome by smoke after trying to kick the door in.

He said: “My mate came over and told me about the fire. I went outside and the flat windows exploded.

“I thought it was getting a bit warm, but I didn’t realise what was happening.”

Ian Bradley, of Stockton Fire Station, said: “Everything was pretty much destroyed.

We think it has been started by an electrical fault.”