Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Fionnuala Boyle

Scots family 'hysterical' and left with nothing after home completely destroyed in devastating fire

A family has been left with absolutely nothing after their house was completely destroyed in a devastating caravan fire.

Andrea Loughrey, 51, and husband John, 53, say they are "still in shock" after their home in Kilmux Park in the village of Kennoway, Fife, was burnt out on Friday evening.

Fire crews were called to the property after the blaze spread from a neighbour's caravan at around 5pm.

At the height of the incident, six fire engines were in attendance, with water being pumped overhead onto the house.

Despite efforts to contain the inferno, within 20 minutes, it had destroyed everything in its wake, including clothes, furniture, baby photos and the couple's collection of keepsakes from all across the world.

The aftermath of the blaze (Submitted / Daily Record)
The family have been left devastated (Submitted / Daily Record)
The blaze took hold around 5pm on Friday evening (Submitted / Daily Record)

The fire also caused the roof to cave in.

The only thing the couple managed to retrieve from the house that they had lived in for 19 years was Andrea's wedding ring, her late mum's engagement ring, the couple's passports and Andrea's mum and dad's ashes.

The couple say everything else was unsalvageable.

The house was completely gutted (Submitted / Daily Record)
The contents of the family home were "unsalvageable" (Submitted / Daily Record)

Andrea, an autism practitioner, told the Record: "I keep thinking of everything we've lost - how will we ever get that back?

"I keep thinking my daughter could've been killed in that fire, my dogs could've been killed. I keep waking up during the night hysterical. It just hits you that we've got nothing.

"I've been sat in the same position since Friday night, in the same pyjamas, I haven't even had a shower.

"People say it's bricks and mortar but it was our home. It was absolutely everything to us."

The pair live in Kennoway, Fife (Submitted / Daily Record)
Andrea says she wakes up 'hysterical' thinking about how much worse things could have been (Submitted / Daily Record)
Andrea and John had lived in the house for nearly two decades (Submitted / Daily Record)

Andrea and John had just arrived in Edinburgh for a shopping trip when they received a phone call from their daughter, Zara, 20, telling them that their neighbour's caravan had caught fire.

The pair raced home but by the time they arrived, around an hour and a half later, a number of fire units were on scene, and the house was unrecognisable after the fire had spread.

Luckily, Zara, who was in the house when tragedy struck, managed to escape thanks to a quick thinking neighbour, who alerted her to the mounting danger, along with the family's three dogs and cat.

Heartbreakingly, Zara's silver cross dolls pram that she loved as a child was ruined in the blaze - something Andrea had hoped to give to her future granddaughter one day.

The family have received enormous support from the local community following the incident (Submitted / Daily Record)

The family had also just finished a complete refurb of the kitchen and living room.

Andrea said: "Our neighbour ran to the door to tell Zara that next door's caravan was on fire and she needed to get out.

"By the time the neighbour got from her house two doors up to our house, she said you could feel the heat. It was like an inferno.

"Within twenty minutes to half an hour, the whole house was destroyed. It just went up."

Andrea and John had just done up their kitchen and living room (Submitted / Daily Record)
Six fire units attended the blaze (Submitted / Daily Record)

She added: "We loved the house, that's what all our money went into. We had done the living room up, too. We got a new couch, new tiled floors, new units, new everything.

"I just can't believe all those years of building a house and in the space of a few minutes, it's gone.

"I keep going through every room in my head thinking oh my god, we've just bought this and that.

"That's when it hits you and you get upset. I keep thinking, how will I ever be able to function again?"

A fundraiser set up to help the family has surpassed £1,000 (Submitted / Daily Record)
The family have 'lost everything' in the fire (Submitted / Daily Record)

The distraught couple say they are now in limbo as they wait to hear what happens next in terms of accommodation and insurance - but their understanding is that the whole house will have to be demolished.

In the meantime, they are staying with their friend, and have been comforted by acts of generosity from the local community, who have donated food, clothes and money to a GoFundMe page.

The fundraiser has so far reached an incredible £1,400 in just three days.

Andrea added: "I'll never forget the kindness that people have shown us.

"I'd like to thank them and Kennoway Star Hearts Football Club who raised £430 for us.

"Having to phone my 23-year-old son, who lives in Edinburgh, and tell him his house has burned down, it's something that you never think in a million years you'll need to do.

"If our neighbour hadn't come to the door that night, things could have been very different and my daughter might not have been so lucky."

If you would like to donate to Andrea and John's fundraiser, click here.

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.