Fire destroys store owner’s business and home

A store has been ravaged in a fire alongside two properties in Gosforth, Cumbria, with two families escaping with just their lives.

The fire took place on 15 August, with the family who both owns and lived above the Budgens store alerted to the incident early in the morning when two workmen were heard banging on the door. The family managed to evacuate with their six children, and the source of the fire is still being investigated.

David Ancell, owner of the Budgens store, told Better Retailing the situation has been “devastating”.

He added: “The fire was really bad. Our house was above the shop, and it’s all basically gone. After we escaped at about 7am, [my wife] went back inside the house to save our dog.

“We’ve had the business since 2005 and we’ve lived above the shop for 12 years. We lost our parrot in the fire, and one of our cats. All our possessions have gone. There’s nothing salvageable. We all got out safe which is a good thing, but it is hard to see the positives.”

Ancell added it may take “at least” 18 months to two years to be back in business, but the support from the community has been “brilliant”.

“A JustGiving page was set up and we’ve had loads of donations – more than £19,000 so far. It’s so great when a community pulls together. I can’t even put a number on how much we’ve lost,” he said.

At the time of writing, the JustGiving fundraiser has raised £19,701. Ancell added that the fire department has also “been really good, out spreading awareness”.

“I’ve spoken to the local Fire Commissioner and he was really supportive. I’m feeling okay, we’ve got six kids in the house, some of which are fostered. But having having had the business for 20 years, it’s a huge part of your life and it’s just not there anymore.”

Fire & Rescue Service response

In a Facebook post, Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service said: “We’d like to publicly thank all our teams who have worked incredibly hard over the past 24 hours-plus in response to the extremely challenging building fire on Gosforth Main Street.

We also extend our sincere thanks to the local community for your kindness and cooperation, and we will continue to be here to support you in these difficult times.

The affected area has now been cordoned off and we expect the road to be reopened imminently.”

Area manager of Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service Lauren Woodward said: “Crews worked tirelessly to tackle a well-developed fire in a commercial premises with domestic dwellings above and surrounding.

“Crews engaged with local residents to provide reassurance and worked to limit the disruption to the village. I would like to thank all those who responded and worked to contain and tackle the fire.

“I would also like to thank the local community who supported Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service with welfare provisions, and the employers and families of our On-Call crews who were engaged in this incident for a number of hours.”