Community rally round to help Ripon couple hit by fire

A couple whose home was badly damaged when a fire tore through it and two neighbouring properties have thanked the local community for their support.

Sophie Ryder and Johnny Waterworth said they had lost most of their belongings in the blaze, which broke out in Magdalens Close, Ripon, on 16 June.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said a gas leak detected in one of the houses was believed to be the cause.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said one woman had been taken to hospital.

Ms Ryder, 30, told the BBC she had heard a "crackling sound" on the night of the fire and had looked out the window to see clouds of smoke billowing from her neighbour's door.

She said as the flames spread she and her fiancé had fled their home.

"It was just going up in flames pretty rapidly, we didn't have any time to get anything out, it was already well on its way," she said.

Their home, which belonged to Mr Waterworth's grandmother, was the least badly damaged, she said, but they were unsure when they would be allowed to return.

"We have to wait for a structural engineer to confirm that it's safe, they might say we have to demolish the house," she said.

"Hopefully that won't be the case, but we have no idea at the minute."

The couple, who had been saving up for their wedding in Cyprus next year, said any future savings will now have to be used to repair the house.

Ms Ryder said: "The wedding will still be going ahead, only because we have already paid the deposit. So we were just going to scrimp and scrape every penny together to pay for that.

"We don't have contents insurance [so] we've learned the hard way it's so important to go and get it."

Following the blaze, her brother, Alex Ryder, launched a fundraising campaign to help all those affected.

Mr Ryder said several businesses had also stepped in to help, including Simply Beds, Calvert's Carpets and The Pet Shop Ripon.

"The people of Ripon just really pulled together. My sister is doing well considering," he said.

"I think if it wasn't for the amount of support she's had from neighbours and the community - it's the silver lining in a horrible situation."

A charity concert is also planned for July to raise funds for the families.

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