A CAT was killed and a woman injured after an Accrington fire.

The blaze, thought to have been caused by a fragrance lamp falling over, destroyed a bedroom and smoke damaged the rest of the woman’s house, in Wellington Court.

Firefighters were on the scene for two hours following the fire, which started at around 3pm on Wednesday.

Accrington crew manager, Stephen Horrocks, said: “The woman inhaled a lot of smoke and it was a rapidly developing fire.

“Passers-by saw the smoke through the window and the woman at the front door.

“They have potentially saved her life as she told them she was trying to find her cat, and may have gone back in, but they dragged her out.

“She had a couple of light burns to her hands as well.”

The woman, in her 50s, was taken to hospital, where she remained on Thursday. The windows at her home were blackened, and one was boarded up.

An upstairs neighbour said: “I was just getting ready to have a shower before work when I saw smoke coming up.

“I banged on her door and dragged her out.

“My house is okay, but hers is a right mess.”