A man says he was faced with the heartbreaking dilemma of helping his injured wife saving his dog when their family home caught fire.
Malcolm and Karen Catterall leapt from an upstairs window to escape the blaze at their house in Walkden, Greater Manchester on Monday night.
In the process, Karen broke bones both her heels but as Malcolm went to help her, Pluto the labrador ran into the flames.
![An ex-Navy hero has spoken of the moment he had to choose between saving his wife or his dog after a horror blaze ripped through their home. Malcolm and Karen Catterall leapt from an upstairs window to escape a huge fire at their home in Walkden, Greater Manchester, on Monday night [August 13]. Caption: The devastation caused by a pan fire at Malcolm and Karen Catterall's home on Lakeside Avenue in Walkden, Greater Manchester, on August 15, 2018](https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/sei_25381235-f92b.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=540%2C405)
Sadly Pluto never survived the fire and ex-Royal Navy serviceman Malcolm said: At the time I had to make the call between my dog or my wife.
I did have hold of him but he started to panic and ran off. The problem is, hes deaf. We were shouting him but he wouldnt have been able to hear us.
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I nearly went back in for him but by that time the house was full of thick, toxic smoke.
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He was a lovely dog too and he sadly didnt make it.
The house caught fire because the couple had left a pan of food cooking on a low heat on the kitchen hob for their son Corey, 23, then gone to bed.
But when he returned home from work at 11pm, the pan of mushy peas had already burnt.
The draught caused by Corey opening the front door caused a fire ball to rip through the house, totally destroying it, Malcolm said.
![An ex-Navy hero has spoken of the moment he had to choose between saving his wife or his dog after a horror blaze ripped through their home. Malcolm and Karen Catterall leapt from an upstairs window to escape a huge fire at their home in Walkden, Greater Manchester, on Monday night [August 13]. Caption: The devastation caused by a pan fire at Malcolm and Karen Catterall's home on Lakeside Avenue in Walkden, Greater Manchester, on August 15, 2018](https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/sei_25381337-0b7d.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=540%2C405)
The 53-year-old added: Its one of those things you think could never happen to you.
Wed left the pan on the lowest heat for about 15 minutes. Then Correy opened the door and it went up.
It was like something out of a film. The back-draught caused it to go through the whole house. We couldnt get down the stairs.
We used to live in a wooden house in Sweden and there were fires there all the time.
That combined with being in the Navy meant I always had a contingency plan if there was ever a fire. I just held my breath and crouched below the smoke to get out.
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The fire service were here within minutes. I cant praise them enough. Our neighbours have been very good to us too.
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I just hope this makes people realise what can happen if you leave food on the hob, even just for a few minutes while you go into the front room to watch television.
Karen is now recovering from her injuries at the Royal Bolton Hospital. She also suffered from smoke inhalation.
Were lucky to have got out of there alive and thats what we keep telling ourselves, Malcolm said.
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