Phoenix from the flames

Demolition workers clearing a fire ravaged pet shop were amazed when they found a canary alive. A total of 100 pets perished in the blaze at Blackpool Aquaria and Pet Supplies, which also destroyed a number of businesses and Blackpool's historic Yates Wine Lodge. The bird, nickmaed Phoenix after the mythical bird that rose from the ashes, was the only animal to survive. It is thought that dislodged masonry may have protected it from smoke and temperatures of up to 1,000 degress celcius. Local vet Fiona Cummins said the bird was in remarkably good health, considering what it had been through. She told the Blackpool Gazette: "When the bird was brought to me I listened to its chest and found that it was breathing normally. "It was able to fly so its wings had obviously not been damaged and there was no real problem with it at all. The only evidence that it had been in the fire was a quantity of dust on its head and tail feathers."