RESIDENTS in a block of flats owe their lives to a cat which raised the alarm after smelling a fire.

The cat, whom firefighters have now christened Lucky, woke its owner after the blaze broke out in the ground-floor flat at Florence House in Bath Road, Banbury, in the early hours of Saturday.

The owner, a woman in her mid-30s, had disconnected the battery of her fire alarm, but was woken by the cat who smelt the toxic fumes caused by an electrical fault.

Other residents were evacuated from the building and two fire crews attended the incident at about 5.30am.

Firefighters used carbon dioxide extinguishers and water jets to tackle the fire, which was put out in about 20 minutes.

Banbury fire station manager Chris Wilson said the landlord had also disconnected the building's hard-wired smoke alarm.

He said it was a miracle that everyone in the three-storey building managed to escape.

He said: "This is a miracle escape thanks to a little cat.

"The smoke coming from this fire was really thick, toxic and acrid.

"It could kill someone after a few breaths.

"This cat has helped to save the lives of everyone in the block of flats.

"People put their lives at risk all the time by not having a working smoke alarm.

"This shows just how essential they are."