Two brave heroes who risked their lives to rescue dogs trapped in the deadly Manchester Dogs’ Home blaze have been nominated for a top animal award.

Jason Dyer and his nephew Dean Rostock jumped over a fence at the Harpurhey sanctuary and kicked open a number of kennel doors after hearing trapped dogs barking and yelping in panic inside.

Now the daring duo have been nominated for a prestigious Animal Hero Award.

The annual awards, backed by the RSPCA, recognise and celebrate the most inspiring examples of bravery, dedication and resilience in the animal world. Honours go to animals along with individuals and teams who make a difference.

Jason, 41, and Dean, 25, who live near the dogs’ home, were one of the first people to reach the burning buildings and told the M.E.N. how they were greeted by a scene of devastation and horror.

But between them they rescued around 20 dogs, putting leads on them and bringing them to safety before tying them to a nearby fence.

Jason, who livs on nearby Moston Lane, said: “We initially ran into the bit that was on fire but we couldn’t get those dogs out. We went to the other kennels and began kicking out the doors. We just wanted to get them out.

“This place is part of our childhoods. We both have dogs and love dogs - of course we are going to run in there. We just wanted to make sure as many as possible would be okay.”

The pair then went back inside in a bid to rescue other trapped dogs.

The devastating blaze - which is being treated by police as arson - killed 60 dogsbut an astonishing and unprecedented fundraising drive led by the Manchester Evening News raised almost £1.5m.

Staff and volunteers are continuing clean-up work at the site and structural and architecture experts are due on site soon ahead of planning to rebuild the sanctuary.

Bosses are also set to issue an open community invite to a huge clean-up.

The sanctuary has been swamped with offers of help and hope hundreds of supporters will bring brushes and shovels for an ‘open house’ day of tidying and cleaning.

A 15-year-old boy arrested on suspcion of arson remains on police bail pending further investigations.

Nominations for the awards close on October 17 and winners will be announced at a glittering gala event in London in November.