A four-foot lizard had an amazing escape when a blaze engulfed its tank today.

Fire crews from Silsden and Skipton rescued the reptile after being called to a stone-built three-storey house in Baynes Way, Embsay, near Skipton, at 2.17am.

There was no-one in the house at the time but firefighters using specialist breathing apparatus discovered the “large lizard” in its vivarium – a tank used for keeping reptiles – in the converted attic, a fire service spokesman said.

He said: “It was an attic room containing a lizard tank. It was a large lizard – about four-foot long – and somebody saved it by carrying it out.”

“It is believed the fire started because of an electrical fault.”

The crews, who were joined by more firefighters from Grassington and an aerial ladder from Harrogate, spent more than three hours at the scene of the blaze, which devastated the upstairs of the house. No other animals were discovered.

Police were also at the scene and evacuated neighbours for a short time.

The firefighters eventually managed to bring the blaze under control at about 5.35am but were still damping down until about 9am.

The roof of the house had been badly damaged by flames and water and had collapsed in what North Yorkshire Fire Service described as a “significant” blaze. At its peak flames could be seen pouring from the building.

A North Yorkshire Fire Service spokesman said: “An investigation is now in progress.”

The spokesman confirmed that, initially, fire investigators put the cause of the blaze down to electrical equipment in the tank overheating.

However, a spokesman last night said a full probe had not been possible because of the heat of the fire and said investigators were set to return later.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman confirmed that a reptile has been in the house when the blaze broke out.

He said the fire was not being treated as suspicious.