A Bristol family is still trying to come to terms with a fire gutting their home, which was also their business. The Sim family from the Alpha Guest House in Southville were devastated last May when their home was deliberately torched, and are still working to rebuild a year on.
A 62-year old-man, Gary Porter of Uphill, North Somerset, was arrested shortly after the fire and later pleaded guilty to arson. He was jailed in December, according to court records.
This week, Fiona Sim said her parents Sam and Salamah had battled through the year since their guesthouse had gone up in flames. A fundraising page on GoFundMe was set up at the time to help the family rebuild their home, which is ongoing as repairs are not yet complete.
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Fiona said the infrastructure, such as plumbing and electrics, have been completed, but work such as the painting, plastering and flooring still needs to be done. She said: “We have just pushed through the year.
“It was such a shock to the system that someone we don’t know could do something like this, it was so devastating. There are still a lot of questions.
“We want to get repairs finished by the end of the year. You just don’t realise how much of your home is lost when it goes up in flames and the damage to the wiring and the plumbing,” she said. She said her parents have been living on universal credit since the fire and she appealed for help to complete repairs through the family’s GoFundMe page.
Firefighters from six local stations attended the scene when the fire broke out in the guesthouse in Coronation Road in May 2022. The fire was found on the third floor of the property and was spreading through the roof.
At that time, a spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Fire Rescue confirmed that 11 people were evacuated from the building. No casualties were reported but the third floor was extensively damaged as well as the roof.
Fiona said replacing the roof had been their first priority, but that the family had gone through cold winter without electricity. She added: “The property is looking a lot better, but it wasn’t the best situation, we managed to get the roof up before winter.”
This week, a spokesperson for Avon and Somerset police confirmed Gary Porter, 62 from Uphill in North Somerset was charged following the blaze with the following offences:
• Arson reckless as to whether life is endangered in relation to an incident at Alpha Guest House, in Coronation Road, on 15 May 2022
• Arson in relation to an incident at Arnos Manor Hotel, in Bath Road, on 12 May 2022
Porter was due to appear before Bristol Magistrates' Court on May 23, 2022. Records state he was later sentenced on December 21 to nine years - comprising four years' imprisonment and five years of extended licence.
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