Sisters rescue cats from fire at Newbury cattery/kennels

Three sisters, Andrea, Paula and Kerry Hull, who are in their 40’s and own Enborne Kennels and Cattery, in Enborne Street, became aware of the fire, at around 5pm, after an electrical fault caused a power cut at the business. After smelling burning, they then discovered the cattery was smoke-logged.
The sisters’ first thought was to rescue five cats housed in the cattery and after calling the fire service, Paula and Kerry dashed in through the smoke to get the cats out:
“It was very scary, you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face,” said Paula, adding she was more worried about getting the cats out, than for her own safety.
“We just grabbed them and ran,” she said, adding: “It’s just what you do if you are an animal lover, you just don’t think about it.”
The cats, she continued, behaved well in difficult circumstances:
“Normally they would lash out, but they were all really good. We got them all out before the fire brigade came and were on our way to the vets with them straight away - Falkland Vets - they were ready waiting for us and very good.”
Two cats, the eldest of which was 14, were affected by smoke and initially needed oxygen: “She was struggling yesterday but is off the oxygen now. They are all stable,” said Paula.
Kerry, who suffers from asthma, was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation by paramedics, before being taken by ambulance to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading as a precaution and discharged later that evening.
Dogs contained in a separate building at the premises remained unaffected by the fire and smoke. Half the cattery was expected to re-open at the weekend.
It was the first fire at the business of 23 years : “Yes and the last I hope, touch wood,” said Paula.
According to Lee Glover, the watch manager of Blue Watch at Newbury Fire Station, one pump was called from Newbury at 5.05pm and another from Kingsclere to the business, where an electrical box had short circuited, setting alight paper and cat litter.
The building was badly affected by smoke and firefighters used high pressure ventilation fans to clear the smoke, before closing the incident at 7pm.