Couple tell of blaze nightmare at home

An elderly couple have told how they fled from their home with their dog as a blaze raged through the roof.

And they have heaped praise on the 55-strong fire crew that tackled the inferno, saving many of the couple's treasured possessions.

Pensioner Tim Cherry, aged 74, a retired senior development engineer for Cadbury's, and his wife Ruth, 76, were alerted to the blaze after the young son of a neighbour in Hartle Lane, Belbroughton, near Stourbridge, spotted the flames on Tuesday at about 6.15pm.

They left the house safely with their collie, Jimmy, but their elderly cat Clarence is thought to have fled the scene and is now missing.

The blaze ripped through the roof, bringing ceilings down into upstairs rooms.

But Mr Cherry, said: "It would have been a lot worse if not for the fantastic job done by the fire crews.

"They even moved furniture and other belongings and covered them with plastic sheeting. We are also very grateful to our neighbours for raising the alarm."

The fire is thought to have been started by an electrical fault in a loft room. Neighbour Sabina Devincentis called the fire brigade and alerted the couple when her son Amadao saw the flames.

Mr Cherry said: "We had been watching the news when there was a power failure. We checked the fuses, which were all OK, and rang the electricity board.

"Then Mrs Devincentis told us about the fire and we left the house."

Six fire engines — from stations including Kidderminster, Bromsgrove and Stourbridge — attended the blaze. Hereford and Worcester fire brigade also sent an incident command bus, as well as a water carrier and a specialist salvage crew..

The Highways Agency closed Hartle Lane to traffic through the night as the crews continued work.

Worcester fire station commander Mark Strutt said: "We had the blaze under control in 30 minutes but continued cutting away to identify hot spots which were still smouldering."

Mr and Mrs Cherry, a retired GP practice nurse, then went to stay with their daughter, Helen, and son-in-law, Dom King, who live in the same street.

Hereford and Worcester fire service said a firefighter was injured in the incident but wouldn't comment on their condition.