A couple have been left "heartbroken" after spending tens of thousands of pounds on their family home only to return from a holiday to find it gutted by fire and smoke.
David Rees, 58, and Susan Thomas, 53, were enjoying their first break together in two years in Newquay when, on Thursday, April 22, they received a call telling them that there was a house on fire in their street in Cimla, Neath. Images and videos shared on social media showed a huge black cloud of smoke billowing over the rooftops of homes in Beacons View and emergency crews quickly arrived on the scene to extinguish the flames. Sadly, it was too late for the home the couple have spent around £50,000 renovating over two decades.
Mr Rees, a project manager, said: "Holly [who lives in the area] called and said 'dad, it looks like your summer house is on fire'. At first, I thought it would be no big issue and the fire brigade would sort it out. I thought the worst-case scenario would be some damage to the summer house, I didn't expect it to burn to the ground. It's heartbreaking, there's smoke damage throughout the house. We've lost basically everything."
After remotely checking the CCTV camera covering the rear of their property and finding the feed was not working, the couple left their holiday early and made the hour-long trip home to find fire crews, police, and concerned residents crowding the street.
"Apparently, the fire started on the fence at the bottom of the garden and spread up the boundary fence to next door's garden and then along the back wall to mine. It set my summer house on fire and my garden furniture and moved onto the decking before going up the back of the house. Eventually the windows blew in on my office upstairs and there's some fire damage to the room and smoke damage everywhere as well as that caused by the fire service hoses. The thing that kills me is really the work and effort we put in. We thought we'd be here for life," Mr Rees added.
Around £50,000 was spent on improvements to the council-owned property over the 22 years Mr Rees has lived there. He said he had recently installed a £3,000 kitchen and £7,000 bathroom suite, all of which could not be claimed for because his insurance only covers home contents.
"I've recently put in a kitchen that was basically brand new. The saddest part about it is that I won't be able to claim for that, I can only claim for items in the house," Mr Rees said.
He added that the couple stayed with family on Thursday night and praised Neath Port Talbot Council for helping them to find alternative accommodation. They have been told by council representatives that it could be up to a year before they can return to their home.
Mr Rees said he had not slept much on Thursday night and the couple returned to their home on Friday to collect personal belongings and whatever clothes had not been damaged by the smoke.
"The council is offering other accommodation for us now and we really appreciate the support. It's just not going to replace my home," he said.
A spokeswoman for South Wales Police confirmed that the incident remained under investigation.
A spokesman for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: "At 2:44pm on Thursday, 22/04/2021, joint fire control received the first report of a garden fire in Beacons View, Cimla, Neath, and crews from Morriston and Pontardawe were sent to the incident. The fire had originated in the garden area of a property and had caused varying degrees of damage to three properties.
"Firefighters extinguished the fire using six breathing apparatus, two main jets, and a thermal imaging camera. A positive pressure ventilation fan was used to ventilate the properties. The fire service left the incident at 05:06 pm. A joint police and fire investigation is taking place into the cause of the fire".
.jpg?w=600)
