A tarantula has been rescued by firefighters after a fire broke out in its owner's house.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the property in Cedar Road, Southampton, on Wednesday where they found the spider in its vivarium in a first-floor bedroom.

Firefighters using breathing apparatus, jets and ventilation were able to rescue the arachnid as they battled the blaze.

Crew manager Ally Hicks said a heating pad in the spider's home had malfunctioned and was believed to be the cause of the fire.

He said: "We removed the spider and could see the heat pad had melted part of the tank.

"We then handed it over to the RSPCA, it had its legs very close to its body so it was difficult to see how big it really was."

Hampshire firefighters previously rescued 60 pet spiders, some of which were venomous, in a house fire in Basingstoke in December last year.

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