A tortoise made a lucky escape last week when it was carried to safety from a restaurant blaze in Northcote Road, Battersea.

The pet was resting in a flat above Marzano restaurant when the kitchen extractors caught fire and the premises were evacuated.

His owner, a waitress in her 20s, fled her flat before realising she had left her little friend behind, leading to a heroic rescue by Battersea firefighters.

The crew manager, who was too shy to give his name, said: “You could see the flames coming out of the extractor.

“We were a little bit taken aback when she mentioned the tortoise, but he came out safe and well in the end.

“It makes a difference from the cats and dogs we usually rescue.”

The fire began just after 11pm on Sunday, April 25, and spread to the flat upstairs via ducting in the ceiling.

Firefighters managed to save the tortoise before flames engulfed the upper rooms.

According to Battersea fire station, the fire was under control at 2.45am, after nearly four hours of battling the blaze.

Only a small portion of the restaurant was damaged, while about a quarter of the flat was burnt.

Local photographer, Ron Angel, who runs the website, ssrichardmontgomery.com, captured the scene on his camera as he made his way home.

He said: “When I arrived, the woman was outside in pyjamas with a big, fat cat in her bag. She was worried because her tortoise was still in the flat, so they went back in to get it.

“She was very happy to have her tortoise back. It could have died if it was left there.”

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.