A SECOND hero has come forward to tell of how he saved dozens of animals from a fire which was raging through a house.

Shane Newcombe, of Old Heath Road, Colchester, said he saw black smoke billowing out of the house in Cavendish Avenue, Colchester, when he was making his way to the shops.

And after seeing the house was ablaze, he said he felt compelled to help in case anyone was inside.

Both 40-year-old Mr Newcombe, and another passer-by, 72-year-old Colin Mann, went into the property on Wednesday afternoon and managed to lead more than a dozen cats and dogs to safety.

Mr Newcombe said: “I went to the convenience store, saw smoke and it was thick, black smoke.

Harwich and Manningtree Standard: The roof of the bungalow was singed in the aftermathThe roof of the bungalow was singed in the aftermath

“I had a walk down and by that time there were onlookers in the driveway. I said I didn’t know if there was anybody in there.

“Someone said they have lots of dogs but they weren’t barking, so people assumed they must have got out."

Mr Newcombe explained after he knocked on the door, dogs started barking and before he knew it, he had gone inside in an attempt to save them.

“The door opened and then the other gentleman followed me in. We were just shouting [to see if we could find anyone].”

The owner then arrived and started passing the animals out over a fence, there were about 15 to 20 animals.

“The fire brigade took over and we were just trying to control the animals because there were a lot of them.”

Read more:

• Fire services rush to save animals after fire at Colchester bungalow

• 'It could have been worse' – heroes save trapped animals from house fire

• Firefighters tackle 'challenging' fire at Pets at Home

Mr Newcombe added he went into the property without a second thought, even though it was dangerous.

“To be honest, I didn’t even think – I don’t know what possessed me to go in there.

“The fire brigade was grateful for our efforts, but they said two intakes of smoke and it could have been a different story.

“The smoke got to me and I was coughing afterwards a little bit but I just didn’t really think.”

The owner of the house, who arrived at the scene whilst the house was on fire, also went in to try to save her animals.

She was later taken to hospital where she was treated for smoke inhalation.