A devastated couple have described how a fire ripped through their family home just minutes before it was due to be viewed by dozens of potential buyers at an estate agent’s open morning.
Mark and Sharon Wibberley were forced to flee, pausing only to grab a few treasured possessions and their pet parrot, as flames devoured the house they shared for 35 years.
The news is all the more tragic given that the couple, aged 57 and 56, don’t have home insurance.
Mark described chaotic scenes as he desperately tried to battle the flames engulfing the roof of the property before being forced back by smoke and flames.
The damage to their home and possessions was “incalculable” with the couple left in tears at the destruction, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Mark said: " The whole house is absolutely ruined. "It's just horrific.
"My wife's in tears, I've been in tears, I'm not ashamed to say."
It's thought the fire started after sparks from a downstairs log burner blew out of the chimney and into the loft under a loose roof Tile.
Video from the scene shows flames shooting from the roof of the three-bed end terrace in Hyde, Greater Manchester.
Retired skip driver Mark said the couple had put their home up for sale and were preparing for an open morning in which 30 prospective buyers were lined up to view the property.
But around 20 minutes before they were due to arrive Mark says a woman banged on the door and told them the "roof was on fire".
Mark ran up to the loft and threw buckets of water on the flames in a desperate attempt to stop the fire from spreading, but the thick black smoke was too intense and he was forced to flee.
He said: "I threw a bucket of water on the fire but it didn't make a dent, so I got another bucket.
"By that time the lady next door was shouting at us to get out because it was really going.
"I couldn't see a thing. There was black smoke everywhere.
"My wife was screaming at me to get out saying it was too late, so we grabbed a couple of possessions and the parrots and just got out."
Unbeknownst to Mark and Sharon their home insurance ran out in December.
They believed the policy automatically renewed and hadn't noticed the payments had stopped coming out of their bank account.
It means they're left facing a repair bill of tens of thousands.
Mark said: "The house was up for sale for offers over £170,000 and we were hoping for £180,000 - so that's gone.
"It's going to cost at least £70,000 to repair and the loss of our possessions is just incalculable.
"To see it, to look at photos and things like that, it's just heartbreaking.
"Everybody keeps saying 'you got out' and, yeah, we did, but at this moment in time I just keep thinking 'f** hell. Why me?'"
In a statement on Saturday morning, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: "Six fire engines from Whitehill, Marple, Ashton and Gorton fire stations were quickly at the scene.
"The fire involved the roof space of an end-terrace domestic property.
"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus have used two hose reels, three jets, and other specialist equipment to tackle the fire and prevent any further spread.
"Two people have been assessed at the scene by colleagues from North West Ambulance Service.
"Residents in the vicinity are advised to keep windows and doors closed and stay clear of the area while crews carry out their work."
