Cat may have started fire

The owners of the house, in The Paddocks, returned from an evening out around 10pm on Friday to find the blaze.

They called West Sussex Fire and Rescue but by the time firefighters arrived, the fire was nearly out.

A spokesman said it was believed the cat had knocked the gas on and somehow started a small fire.

“We removed the burned items and isolated the gas and electricity,” he added.

There was five per cent fire damage to the kitchen and a futher five per cent smoke damage.