A family whose home was destroyed in a fire in the early hours of Christmas Day have spoken of the help and support they received from the South Holland community.
The blaze gutted their Fleet Hargate home of 19 years and one of their pet dogs died as a result.
But the offers of help, money and support from neighbours and total strangers alike has been ‘astounding’.
Steven Joel was in the living room when the fire started in an extension lead and rapidly spread throughout the house.
He tried to extinguish the flames and shouted to his wife Karen and their 17-year-old son to get out. He was hospitalised for three days suffering from smoke inhalation as a result.
The intense heat blew out the windows of the detached property and melted the roof of the conservatory to create a vent.
“It spread very quickly and we lost everything. When I came out of hospital there had been queues of people offering help. Some were our neighbours, others we knew just by sight and some were total strangers,” he said.
Mr Joel, a retired railway worker who is disabled, said the family had been offered two homes by the end of Christmas day and they have been staying in a Manse belonging to the Baptist Church near Long Sutton.
“What really hurts is the loss of our dog. One of our neighbours buried him in our garden.
“I want to publicly thank the dozens, or more, of kind people of Fleet village and the surrounding villages and towns for their generosity since our tragic disaster in which our lovely collie Sprocket died, the biggest loss of all,” he said.
Their other collie, Penny, escaped along with some of the family’s cats although two are still missing.
“We are proud of these good neighbours and the kindness of strangers, also the school trust my wife works for and the support and kindness they showed us,” said Mr Joel.
Their home remains uninhabitable while extensive work is carried out and Mr Joel said he was also grateful to his neighbours who were watching over the property for the family.
“People do deserve our appreciation. You all stepped up in the true spirit of goodwill,” he added.
