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A man who escaped a flat fire in the early hours of the morning says he owes his life to Karma - his American Bulldog.

Mark Holmes, 44, lived in the flats on South Parade in Pensarn and was woken by Karma barking at 3.30am.

He managed to get out of his flat before firefighters arrived and rescued three other people from the blaze.

Mr Holmes, who has only had the dog for a couple of months, now faces an uncertain future after smoke damage left his flat uninhabitable.

He told North Wales Live: "I'm still in a bit of shock. I'm grateful to my dog. I was asleep about 3.30am and she was barking. I thought someone was in the building.

"I got up and went to the toilet, which is by the entrance to the flat, and saw smoke coming under the door.

(Image: North Wales Live / David Powell)

"I opened the door and there was thick, black smoke. It was a shock, so I grabbed Karma and got out as quick as I could.

"She had a bad leg when I got her and I was asked to take care of her. I made her better and now she's taken care of me. She saved my life. She's more precious to me now than ever."

Mr Holmes previously spent years living on the streets after the death of a friend he had been staying with.

(Image: North Wales Live / David Powell)

He said: "I was on the street through personal circumstances. I was staying with a mate in Rhyl and he died of a heart attack. I walked in and found him dead on the sofa. That was more than four years ago.

"The owners sold the flat and and I was put out onto the streets. I got this flat because I was homeless. I was on the streets for more than four years in Rhyl . My key worker never thought I would live that long.

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"The dog's getting a place to stay for the night but I will just cross that bridge when I get there. It's just lucky that Karma woke me up."

Four fire engines, from Abergele , Rhyl and Colwyn Bay , were sent to the scene of the fire alongside the aerial ladder platform from Rhyl, at around 3.41am.

The fire service spokesman said the blaze caused fire damage to 75% of the property. No one needed hospital treatment but fire investigators remained at the scene on Wednesday morning trying to establish the cause of the fire.