Gosforth fire: Family who lost home and shop 'overwhelmed' by kindness

Michelle and David Ancell, who live above the Budgens store which they run on Main Street in Gosforth, were at home with their children on Thursday morning, when they were alerted to a fire in the building.

The couple and their four children – Theo, 18, Luka, 18, Flissy, 16, and Bart, 12 and their two young foster children - all managed to escape safely with only the clothes they were wearing but their parrot, Alfie, and one of their cats, Maurice, perished in the fire.

Michelle Ancell with the family's pet parrot, who died in the fire (Image: Family handout)

Mrs Ancell said: “We are all pretty shell-shocked.  We are trying to make sense of everything. Our son is preparing to go to university and has got nothing at all because his room burned down.

“The community has been absolutely amazing. That’s buoyed us along, I think. We are amazed by the help we have received from everybody. It’s been absolutely wonderful.

“The devastation of the house is unbelievable. It’s not only our home but it’s our business, as well. It’s a bit of a double whammy.”

The devastation left by a fire which ravaged the Budgens store and the property above in Gosforth on Thursday morning (Image: Family handout)

Mrs Ancell said they had been woken by the fire alarm going off at about 7am. They got their children and went downstairs. There were two workmen banging on the front door, telling them they needed to get out.

Mrs Ancell went back inside to save their dog, Bango. Their other cat, George, who is a prominent resident in the village, was outside when the fire started. The property next door was also affected by the blaze.

Mr and Mrs Ancell have been running the village store since 2005 and have lived above the shop for 12 years.

Bango the Labrador who was rescued from the fire by Michelle Ancell (Image: Family handout)

Mrs Ancell said: “It’s affected the whole community. We were the heart of the village. There were two members of staff – Ruth and Sue – who were on duty at the time.

“It was Theo’s A-level results that day and we were preparing to have a party to celebrate that night.

“It won’t sink in for a long, long time. We are so thankful that no one was hurt. We were very fortunate. If it had been earlier, there wouldn’t have been anyone in the village. We would have been oblivious.

The Ancell children - Bart, Flissy, Theo and Luka (Image: Family handout)

“The children have been amazing and full of strength. This is something that will affect us for the rest of our lives but we are here. Even the thought of losing a child is horrific.

“It’s your memories and your things. Yes, it was only bricks and mortar but it’s the children’s baby books, their cuddly toys.”

Mrs Ancell said the family had been ‘overwhelmed’ by people’s kindness and expressed how thankful they were to the fire service and to everyone who has donated to a JustGiving page, which has raised more than £18,000.

The Ancell family lost of all their belongings in the fire (Image: Family handout)

Megan O’Gorman, of Wasdale, who set up the online fundraising page to support the two families affected by the fire, said: “I know Michelle and David quite well, with them running the shop locally. Everybody knows them.

“I just figured I’d go in and kick off that community spirt and get everybody raising some funds.

“Seeing that much money raised in such a short period of time is fantastic. There were people at Gosforth Show that were raising money, people running fundraisers in local village halls.

Inside the Ancells' family home in Gosforth, which was destroyed in a fire on Thursday (Image: Social media)

“It’s not just Gosforth, through the whole of west Cumbria, all the communities tend to really support each other.

“We’ve got people from further afield in Cumbria. It’s just one giant community. This whole area is just one big community from the valleys to the coast.”

Ms O’Gorman said she had seen the fire on Thursday morning, while driving from Wasdale into Gosforth to run some errands.

She said: “As I came from the road in Wasdale into Gosforth, I saw police stood in the middle of road. Police said there had been a fire.

“I looked up and saw clouds and clouds of smoke. It was torrential rain so you know how big and intense that fire must have been to keep alight.

The extent of the fire damage at the property on Main Street in Gosforth (Image: Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service)

“For the Ancells, it must have been unbelievably scary. I can’t even imagine.”

A spokesperson for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service said: “Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.

“Our teams will have a visible presence in the Gosforth community, delivering safety and reassurance visits, over the comings days and weeks.

“To carry out a home fire safety check, visit www.cumbriafire.gov.uk/safety-home.”

To donate to the JustGiving page, click here.