Family of six Loses home in House fire

A family of six was made homeless when fire severley damaged their house.

Damage to the end of terrace house in The Alders, Billingshurst, was so severe that earlier this week investigators were unable to examine the area where they think the blaze might have started.

The family rents the house from the Horsham-based Saxon Weald Housing Association: A spokeswoman said: “We were made aware of the fire on the evening it occurred and liaised with Horsham District Council to secure emergency accommodation for the family.  They currently remain in temporary housing. The property next door, which was also damaged by the fire, was empty at the time.  The damage to number 55 is extensive but we are just very grateful that nobody was hurt.”

A spokeswoman for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service told the Post on Wednesday: “Because of the structural damage they cannot access safely the seat of the fire. At the moment they cannot safely investigate.”

The blaze wrecked the roof and first floor and severely damaged the ground floor. Crews from Horsham, Worthing, Storrington, Partridge Green, Crawley and Arundel responded after the first alert at 4.46 pm. It took them three hours to get the fire under control, and relief crews followed up their work, returning on Tuesday for more checks.

The house next door was damaged by smoke and water, but firefighters managed to prevent more serious damage to the row of houses in the street.

The fire crews used six sets of breathing apparatus, two jets, two hose reels, foam jets and two extension ladders as they fought the blaze. The fire was first reported to have started in the upper part of the house , and that is one area investigators will examine when it is safe to do so.

The fierce blaze attracted attention from local people and drew much sympathy as the scale of the damage caused by the flames and smoke became apparent.

Part of the area was sealed off as a safety measure as the crews fought the blaze, and later re-opened after fire crews were satisfied the blaze had been completely extinquished.

The blaze was one of the worst of its kind to happen the village in recent years.