Family tell of dramatic escape from flat after fire rips through butchers below
A butcher has recalled the terrifying moments his family became trapped in their first floor flat after his shop caught fire below.
Firefighters had to rescue Mark Broadbent, aged 42 from Coseley, his wife Lynne, their two teenage daughters and two dogs through a first floor window of their home above his butcher shop in Coseley.
The blaze caused around £100,000 damage to his business, home and destroyed his car, work van, fridge equipment and meat.
Mark said: "It was scary stuff, we were panicking. I looked out the window at the back and saw the back of my shop on fire. I was thinking how long will we be in here."
His 17-year-old daughter Georgina first raised the alarm after returning home with her younger sister Emily, 13, who had been to guides.
She spotted the fence at the back of the property on fire before running inside to alert her parents.
Two good Samaritans passing by tried to rescue Mark's youngest daughter to safety while firefighters raced to the scene. A young man accompanied by a middle-aged men used a ladder to try and get her down, but all four were eventually rescued by firefighters using a ladder from their first floor window.
But getting their two dogs down - a lurcher Cross called Sam and a greyhound called tigger - proved more tricky.
"At this point one gentleman climbed up the ladders and assisted the fire brigade in escorting the dogs down the ladder," said Mark.
The fire has affected Mark's business, Mark Broadbent Black Country Butchers, which has caused him losses affected the operations of his shop.
Pictures taken following the aftermath of the fire show the interior of his shop charred and blackened, while both his van and car - which were taken away by recovery crews - burnt out.
Lynne's equipment that she used to run a market stall was also damaged.
But he has vowed he will not be put out of business and reopened his shop three days after the blaze, which took place on May 2.
Mark said: "We will get there one way or another.
"The damage of the building has cost more than £100,000. Between £4,000 to £4,500 of meat we have had to throw away. All our fridges have been destroyed. We have had to rent a portable fridge unit. I won't get anything back from my insurance for six weeks."
Mark's butcher shop has been in his family for 25 years. He took over from his father two years ago.
After the fire, Mark appealed on Facebook to find the good Samaritans so he could thank them for helping to rescue them. He eventually was able to track them down.
In a post which he placed on his store's Facebook site, he said: "Would just like to let everyone know that through the power of Facebook we have found the amazing people who helped us out during the fire, thank you all for sharing the post."
A fundraising campaign has been set up by neighbouring business Scoffs to help raise funds for Mark and his family.
The author of the page said: "Hopefully all the community from Coseley can help them get back to normal working life. Any donation I'm sure they would be grateful for it doesn't matter how small it is, it will be gratefully received."
A West Midlands Fire Service spokesman said fire crews were called at 9.25pm to the blaze and three crews - two from Dudley and one from Bilston - were sent to the scene.
"Four people and two dogs were rescued," the spokesman said. "The fire was in the rear of the building."
Firefighters used an extension ladder, breathing apparatus and hose reel jets to tackle the blaze while using a fan to clear the smoke from inside the property. Firefighters remaiend on site until 10am the next day to carry out checks.
To donate to the page, visit www.gofundme.com/3qh89gw
