Goldfish found two years after house fire

The remarkable story of a goldfish has only just come to light after it was finally discovered some two years after a fire had ripped through the house in which it was kept.

Smokey the fish was thought to have been killed when fire hit a property in Harwich, Essex, in 2011. But the creature was found alive and well recently, despite the fact it had not been fed at any point in the last 24 months.

Homeowner Jackie Broadley was understandably delighted to have the fish back in her possession, stating: "Having him back has really lifted our spirits."

It is said that the fish survived by swimming in a pond beneath a plastic sheet, where he went undetected as the clear-up operation took place. Mr Broadley said she was sure she had retrieved all the fish from the pond so was amazed when she was told Smokey had been found in good health.

"When I got the phone call to say there was a surviving fish from the old pond, I thought somebody was winding me up. It's really nice to have Smokey as it was a horrible experience for us to lose our house and have to re-home all our other fish," she explained.

Ms Broadley can now go about looking after Smokey and finding a new home for her pet, which she had presumed she had lost forever when the fire took hold of the property.

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA added she was incredibly surprised to learn the fish had survived, mainly because goldfish require an oxygen supply in their water in order to breathe and in the case in Harwich there was not an obvious source of this.

It remains to be seen whether Smokey will suffer any long-term effects as a result of the fire and going without food for two years, but for now the fish appears to be fit and healthy, much to the delight of its owners.