Ashill fire: 'The kindness has been overwhelming'

Families whose homes were ravaged by a fire a month ago say the kindness of the community has been "overwhelming".

Both Tracey Stopp and Carrie Fisher lost their properties when a wildfire swept through Ashill, near Watton, in Norfolk, on 19 July.

Eleven homes in the village were destroyed and many more damaged.

Carrie Fisher said after she lost practically everything she owned, the help she received was "what's kept me upright".

Ms Fisher had lived in the village for six years, and her current home for two months, when the fire happened.

"It's the kindness that has just been absolutely overwhelming, it's what's kept me upright," she said.

Because of this she now has "life-long" friends in the village.

She said she was not covered by insurance and was working three jobs to replace what she lost.

It meant she was now starting "from the ground up".

"Yes I've lost things, I'm alive and well. Belongings can replaced but people can't and we are all very fortunate we are all still here."

Ms Stopp said she wanted her home built "exactly the same" as it was.

"That's my hope, that's one of reasons I bought it in the first place. It's a flint cottage on the green, and it looks pretty and it's part of the heritage of this village," she said.

She said it was "awful" seeing the chimneys being taken down on her home on Thursday "but that's the start of making it safe and moving on".

"We all left our homes with what we had on our backs," she added.

Since then, she said, she and her daughter had been helped so much and had been given clothes, pet food and toiletries.

Until she sorted out her temporary accommodation, a neighbour even took in two of her dogs, she said.

"It goes above and beyond anything I ever imagined, it's just been amazing."

Alan Ketteringham, chairman of Ashill Parish Council, said "it must be heartbreaking" to see the homes destroyed.

He said the council was still working to support villagers and it was in contact with charities, like Mind, to help with people's well-being.

It now had donations of £32,000 for the people who affected by the fires, and was working on how to best to distribute the cash.

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