An iguana mounted a daring escape on top of a firefighter’s helmet during a blaze at a house in Northamptonshire.

The agile lizard evaded the flames after a faulty reptile heat mat in the living room of a property in Whitworth Avenue, Corby, started the fire late on Wednesday.

“This was a very unique incident – one that we have never dealt with before,” said a spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue, who shared a photograph of the incident on Twitter.

“The fireman in the image didn’t realise the iguana had climbed on top of him at first as he initially thought it was a colleague touching his helmet.

“What a surprise he then had to find this iguana chilling on his head, eager to escape the burning building.

“Thankfully there were no injuries to any people or animals as a result of this incident and it is certainly an example of the diversity of a firefighter’s job – every day is definitely different.”