Autistic pet owner saves her mother, brother and all NINE of her animals from 1am house fire before collapsing from stress insists the real hero was elderly terrier who woke her with seconds to spare

Published: 00:45, 21 June 2026 | Updated: 00:53, 21 June 2026 A heroic pet owner was just seconds away from death before her dog woke her up to save her family and all nine of her animals from a house fire. Maddy Villatte, 25, who has autism and ADHD, was woken in the early hours of Thursday morning to find the inferno tearing through her bedroom after a candle she forgot to blow out was knocked over, which saw the fire spread rapidly. Despite the danger, the self-employed artist acted fast to save her four dogs, three cats, pet snake and gecko before waking her mother and brother and getting them to safety - but she insists the real hero is her dog. She told the Daily Mail her seven-year-old Jack Russell Lexi 'saved my life' when it woke her up by frantically jumping on her body. 'I truly believe my dog saved my life, if a couple more minutes had gone by I don't think I'd still be here because the fire was spreading so quickly. 'When I woke up and first saw the fire I thought this is how I'm going to go. Once I was in action mode, I thought this is my chance to survive.'  The fire turned Ms Villatte's bedroom to ash and destroyed everything inside it, including artwork she had made throughout her life and gifts from her late grandmother.  With her family having no house insurance to fall back on, a GoFundMe has been created to help recover the losses. Maddy Villatte, 25, was just seconds away from death before her dog woke her up and she saved her mum, brother and all nine of her animals from a house fire The fire turned Ms Villatte's bedroom to ash an destroyed everything inside it (seen), including artwork she had made throughout her life and gifts from her late grandmother She told the Daily Mail her seven-year-old Jack Russell Lexi 'saved my life' when she woke her up by frantically jumping on the bed Ms Villatte, from Ely, Cambridgeshire, screamed for all of her dogs to run out and she also carried her cats to safety before rescuing her pet lizard and gecko, which are housed in tanks weighing up to 30 kilos each. She ran to wake up her mother and brother while closing all the doors to contain the blaze until firefighters arrived. The heroic animal-lover even raced back into the inferno to try and save one of her cats but described being unable to breathe as the room became engulfed by smoke. Luckily the cat had been safe outside. The stress of the traumatic fire caused her to collapse and have seven seizures in a row - the most she has ever had at one time - with her boyfriend Ryan Payne, 24, staying by her side at hospital until 4am.  'I remember feeling so scared because you have no control,' she said. The pet owner was lucky to walk away from the fire alive, but sustained a burn on her head and several painful bruises all over her body as a result of seizing on the floor.  Speaking on her quick response to the fire, Ms Villatte said: 'At the time I was scared but I was in action mode. The fear and guilt came after because the fire started in my room.  'My main focus at the time was making sure all the animals were out, as well as my mum and brother.' With her family having no house insurance to fall back on, a GoFundMe has been created to help recover the losses Despite the danger, the self-employed artist acted fast to save her four dogs, three cats (two seen), pet snake and gecko (right) before waking her mother and brother  While the fire was mostly contained to Ms Villatte's bedroom, she said the corrridors were balckened and all the doors had been destroyed The stress of the traumatic fire caused her to collapse and have seven seizures in a row - the most she's ever had at one time - with her boyfriend Ryan Payne, 24, staying by her side at hospital until 4am The artist spoke of how it has been difficult to adjust after the terrifying incident and even seeing smoke makes her relive that night and 'panic'. She said: 'It's been very difficult especially with my suspected autism and ADHD because you have your routines. I'm still really on edge and if I smell smoke I have a momentary panic.' But she added that having been able to find the strength to save herself and all the ones she loved has given her life a renewed sense of meaning.  Ms Villatte and her family are now staying in a two-bedroom flat five minutes away which her late grandmother left behind, as repairing the house is expected to take several months.  Ryan, who set up the GoFundMe page, said she has lived a difficult life filled with personal struggles and ongoing stress.  He said: 'For her mental health support, the dogs are all she has and possesses an immense amount of love for them.'  The lorry driver added: 'She saved her family's life... That fire would have engulfed their rooms and they all would have been dead. 'She's too modest to call herself a hero, but she's an inspiration to everyone.'  Mr Payne wrote on the GoFundMe page: 'Maddy is one of the strongest, kindest people I know. Even in the worst moment of her life, she put others first and saved everyone she could. 'In the middle of chaos and fear, she didn't just run, she acted. Maddy rescued all of her animals, making sure every single one of them made it out safely. She then woke her mum and brother, getting them out of the house. 'Even as the fire spread, she tried to contain it, closing doors and doing everything she could to stop it from getting worse until firefighters arrived. 'Her quick thinking saved lives that night.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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