A devastating house fire in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, has left a family reeling, but their local community has rallied together to provide support and aid in their time of need.
Jo Barnes, the homeowner, has recounted the harrowing experience, describing how a simple tea light candle sparked a blaze that consumed nearly everything in her home. The fire broke out on Christmas Day while Barnes was out collecting her daughter’s presents, and by the time she returned, the house was engulfed in flames.
“When we got back, my daughter opened the door and the door just fell in and there were flames,” Barnes said. “I think the oxygen coming in made it all go in minutes and the house was up.”
The fire service has confirmed that the blaze was caused by combustible materials placed too close to a heat source, with Barnes suspecting that her cat had knocked a burning tea light off the mantelpiece.
While the quick-thinking action of closing a single door saved one room from serious damage, the rest of the house was devastated. Barnes said that the kitchen, dining room, stairs, and upstairs landing were “basically gone,” with the rest of the property suffering extensive smoke damage.
“Everything else, if the fire didn’t touch it then there was thick smoke,” she added.
Tragically, the family’s beloved dog, Teddy, did not survive the fire. Barnes praised the efforts of the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, who she said “went above and beyond” in trying to save their belongings and rescue Teddy, but the family’s two other dogs were able to escape through the back door.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the local community has rallied to support the family, with neighbours and strangers alike donating household items and raising more than £4,000 to help the family get back on their feet.
“Everyone’s been amazing, people we’ve never met before have taken time out of their Christmas to bring us things and help us out,” Barnes said. “It means everything, it’s helped us all get through it to know there’s so many people there [willing to help].”
Barnes expressed her deep gratitude to the community, saying, “I want to say a big thank you to everyone who helped or donated or even messaged to see how we were doing, we really do appreciate it.”
The devastating house fire in Cinderford was the first of four such incidents in Gloucestershire in less than a month, with two of them proving fatal. This tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the importance of fire safety and the power of community support in the face of such devastating events.