A 76-year-old woman “lost everything” including her two pet cats in a devastating fire which destroyed her home of 43 years.
Retiree Maggie Bonnet returned to her Clifton flat on Sunday, August 29 to find emergency services tending to the blaze which engulfed her fifth-floor property.
Maggie's two Persian cats were killed in the blaze and almost all of her belongings were destroyed.
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Daughter Katie Bonnet, who was with her mother at the time, said: “We had a phone call saying the flat was on fire and as I drove down Whiteladies Road, we saw huge clouds of smoke covering the Triangle.”
On arrival the road was cordoned off on both sides with fire engines, police cars, a riot van and an ambulance at the scene.
Fire crews initially struggled to enter the property as the smoke was so thick, but after half an hour, they went inside to tackle the blaze and found the bodies of Maggie's two cats.
“Because of the smoke I didn’t even see the house”, added Katie. “She (Maggie) was just devastated, it was such a shock."
The two floors above Maggie’s property were also decimated in the blaze, but neighbours were thankfully unharmed.
Investigators at the scene were unable to determine the cause of the fire.
Maggie had lived at the three-bedroom flat for more than 40 years, and raised three children there.
Katie said: “It was my childhood home so it was just devastating for everyone.”
Once the fire was extinguished, Maggie's daughters returned to their family home and were able to salvage some photos, pieces of pottery and books, but found all of Maggie’s furniture destroyed and her bedroom reduced to rubble.
Daughter Sophie Doubleday has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money towards replacing her mother’s furniture and fund her temporary accommodation, as restorations are expected to take 10 months.
Katie said the family are very grateful for the £1,300 already raised which will help their mother “get her life back together.”
To donate, visit Maggie’s GoFundMe page.
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