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Town rallies after fatal fire tragedy

BBC / John Bowness Emergency services on Market Street in Kirkby Lonsdale. It is a narrow road with older brick buildings on either side. Two police officers stand in the road. Behind them are emergency vehicles and, in the distance, a firefighter is standing in an extended cherry-picker.BBC / John Bowness
Kirkby Lonsdale was celebrating its Christmas Fair on the weekend of the fire

A community has come together to offer shelter, support and fundraising for those affected by a fatal town centre fire over the weekend.

One man died in the blaze which ripped through a flat in Kirkby Lonsdale's Main Street at 05:45 GMT on Sunday.

He has been named locally as Ben Taylor, a 45-year-old business owner and member of the Cumbrian town's rugby club.

A second man suffered minor injuries, while a number of other people are unable to return to their homes.

Three shops and a number of apartments on the corner of Main Street and Market Street were destroyed in the fire, which required the efforts of 75 firefighters to bring under control.

It happened at a busy time in the picturesque Lune Valley town, which sits at the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and caused its Christmas Fair and market to be cancelled.

BBC / John Bowness A view down Market Street in Kirkby LonsdaleBBC / John Bowness
Large parts of Main Street and Market Street remain closed and cordoned off

Mark Duckworth, of Dales Traditional Butchers which sits opposite the site of the fire, said Mr Taylor's death had been "deeply felt by all who knew him".

Speaking on BBC Radio Cumbria, Mr Duckworth said: "Its been horrible, frustrating, painful, upsetting, probably every emotion you can think of really.

"The tragedy has knocked us all for six really, its been a disaster. But the way the community has responded and pulled together is amazing."

BBC / John Bowness Melissa Dixon, general manager of The Royal Hotel, pictured inside the the hotel. She is wearing a white top patterned with black wavy vertical lines. She has glasses and short hair with a fringe.BBC / John Bowness
Melissa Dixon, of The Royal Hotel, has offered shelter to those displaced by the fire

Three different crowdfunding pages have so far been set up to help those affected.

Melissa Dixon, general manager of The Royal Hotel, said despite it being a difficult time for everyone, they "need to remember we've lost a friend, a colleague and another trader from our town".

Ms Dixon praised emergency services and said the hotel "will continue to look after people who haven't been allowed into their homes and do anything we can".

BBC / John Bowness Landlord and building owner John Short, standing outside the Save the Children charity shop on Market Street, Kirkby LonsdaleBBC / John Bowness
John Short has been left in tears for the people affected by the fire which caused damage to his property

John Short, the landlord of the Save the Children charity shop on Market Street, said: "It's been upsetting to see.

"It's really sad, yesterday I cried, it was a really depressing day. But I'm trying to look at it that it's past and we've got to rebuild together."

Parts of Market Street and Main Street were allowed to reopen to the public on Wednesday morning.

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