People who fled Stourbridge fires start to return home

ByEleanor Lawson & Shannen Headley

West Midlands

People who had to flee their houses during the devastating Stourbridge fires are starting to return home.

Many families are only just discovering the extent of damage to their homes as West Midlands Fire Service allowed some behind the cordon after three days.

Nineteen properties across five streets have been fully destroyed with another 18 severely damaged.

Aerial images of the scene appear to show some houses have remained entirely intact while those next to them have been burnt to the ground.

Residents of Brunswick Gate, Landsgate, Ounty John Lane, Quarry Park Road and Racecourse Lane were asked to gather to speak to fire chiefs one by one.

They then learned if it was safe to return or if their home needed significant repairs or had been lost entirely.

The blaze was one of several being tackled across England and Wales on Thursday, the hottest day of the year so far.

Phil Garrigan from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said on Saturday that 11 major fires in the past 48 hours and 43 new wildfires since Friday have left services under "incredible pressure".

Among those who have been able to return home are the Abdullah family, who fled as they were preparing to head to a local Wetherspoons pub to celebrate 18-year-old Dominic's A-level results.

Dominic said that being evacuated had been "complete chaos" but his family were grateful that their house had been unaffected.

"We are so so lucky and endlessly grateful for the brave firefighters," he said.

"We're hoping for the best for the people who have been affected and their families, all the firefighters and all our friends."

He told the BBC that nothing could describe the feeling of watching his neighbours' houses burn.

"Seeing the houses go down, seeing neighbours we know - their rooftops just burning, the whole street covered in smoke," he said.

His mother said they smelt smoke and when they saw their neighbours leaving their homes they ran for their lives.

Speaking about the community rallying around the people affected, Dominic said: "It really has inspired a lot of hope for us, it's really helped us get through this, seeing the way our community's come together."

While the fire has died down, Dominic said the atmosphere was "not entirely peaceful".

"Even just seeing our house from the outside when we're going in, the air is different," he said.

"Everyone has been affected ... there is no doubt in my mind that this will have an impact way beyond just these coming days."

David Price said he was feeling "very grateful" that his house had survived the inferno.

Across the street, however, his neighbours' homes have been gutted.

"I haven't seen the people who live over the road, because their houses are completely gone and I haven't been able to see them," he told BBC 5 Live.

"We'll do whatever we can for them - but I don't know what we can do, they're just shells of houses."

Councillor Ed Lawrence, reponsible for emergency planning at Dudley Council, said residents had returned home to find "no electricity in the houses, gas or water".

"The fridge was full of rotting food. And it's little things like that, so we've sent a team out today with a refuse truck so that residents can clear out that food, start to rebuild," he said.

A fundraiser created by Dudley Council to help residents "rebuild their lives" has surpassed £25,000.

Another by the Heart of England Community Foundation to help families impacted by fires across the West Midlands has hit £50,000.

Stourbridge MP Cat Eccles urged anyone who needed additional support to reach out for help.

"I'm on hand to support however I can, the Town Hall remains open for food, clothes, pet supplies, phone chargers, general inquiries," she said.

"Counselling is available and being offered by several local professionals free of charge for adults and children."

The Stourbridge and District branch of the RSPCA has also shared posters, external about several cats who have gone missing from the area since the fire.

In Stoke-on-Trent, four homes were completely destroyed by a fire that started in a park in Sandyford and 13 other homes suffered structural, roof and window damage.

Marie Leese told how her treasured garden went up in flames after fire ripped through properties in Maureen Avenue.

When she was allowed to return home, she discovered she had also lost the summer house her husband built before he died three years ago.

Police have arrested a man and woman on suspicion of arson in connection with the Stoke-on-Trent fire.

Investigators are still working on what caused the blaze in Stourbridge.