A BOLTON bunny turned firestarter last night after gnawing through the electric mains wire of a cooker.

And the pet rabbit had the shock of its life after narrowly avoiding a roasting as the wiring short-circuited and fuses blew.

A sweeping brush was set alight and fire crews were called to clear the kitchen of smoke, although the small blaze had been put out when they arrived at the house in Exeter Avenue, Tonge Moor.

Today fire chiefs said they were astonished that the razor-toothed bunny had not been killed after it gnawed off the plastic insulation surrounding the wiring.

And a spokesman revealed other electrical kitchen equipment, including a freezer and a fridge, had to be disconnected because more wiring had been bitten.

He added: "Its owner told us that she had brought it inside because of the cold weather, but now it's going straight back out there."

And the rabbit's harebrained antics left its owners hopping mad and hungry.

The brigade spokesman added: "When we left, the family could only use the lights because we had to pull all the other fuses out."

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