A pet rabbit has been credited with saving an Australian couple from a fire that started in their house while they slept. The rabbit woke its owners, Michelle Finn and her partner Gerry Keogh, by scratching on their bedroom door when smoke poured through the house in the Macleod area of Melbourne.

“Gerry only got home from work about 5.30 because he works a night shift and about 7am we both woke to the sound of a thumping rabbit,” Ms Finn told The Age newspaper in Melbourne. “We heard windows breaking at the back of the house and got up to see what was wrong and the house was on fire.”

Neighbours arrived with hoses to help before fire crews arrived. Firefighters said that a smoke alarm had been removed while the house was being renovated.

Ms Finn said that the pet, named Rabbit, was allowed to roam freely around the house unless they had guests. “It was very lucky for both of us,” she said. “I don’t think he was very impressed \.”

The fire caused A$80,000 (£39,000) of damage and ruined two years of renovations, which the couple had just completed.

Mick Smith, a commander for the Metropolitan Fire Service in Melbourne, said that Rabbit had played a crucial role in preventing a tragedy. “The rabbit saved the couple,” he said.

Mr Keogh, a nightclub employee, said that although he and Ms Finn faced the difficult task of rebuilding, Rabbit had also been left homeless by the fire, which ruined his cage.

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