A Bristol family has been left heartbroken after their beloved show pony died in a stable fire near their home.
Owner Michelle Cliffe said she will "never forget the scream" when her 12-year-old little sister Grace was told about the blaze, which took 33 firefighters to tackle.
In the early hours of Friday, October 29, the family received an urgent phone call alerting them to the stable fire on Durley Lane in Keynsham.
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Shocked, they hurried from their Charlton Road home to check on their horses - only to be told that the fire had taken the life of their pony Billy.
Ms Cliffe, who said the scene was "like a horror film", had decided to move the family’s horses from Wick to Durley Lane three weeks prior to the incident.
She said the day before (October 28) she took her little sister Grace out for a ride on two of the horses, including Billy. They then decided to leave the horses in a stable overnight as they had hoped to go riding again the following day.
But as Grace went to bed that night she had no idea of the devastation that was taking place a short drive away from her home.
Unprepared for what they were about to see, Ms Cliffe and her family made their way to the yard where flames could be seen ripping through the stables and destroyed everything in its path.
“When I arrived I was told there was a deceased horse by the animal rescue team and that it was not a nice sight.
“But it was like a horror film, Billy was on fire and the buildings had collapsed all around him,” said Ms Cliffe.
The 38-year-old said the cause of the fire is unknown but she suspects it was lit deliberately.
“We have lost absolutely everything and had to pay £200 for Billy's body to be removed from the burnt-down stable.
“All my other horses had to have medication for smoke damage for more than a week,” she added.
In the days that followed, Grace also lost her family dog to cancer, which Ms Cliffe said caused further trauma.
Desperate to put her young life back together, the family set up a Gofundme page hoping to raise £5,000 to buy her another pony and replace all of their lost equipment, which include items for her shows.
A spokesperson from Avon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said: “On Friday, October 29 at 3.38am crews from Kingswood, Temple, Bedminster, Southmead and Portishead were mobilised to reports of a caravan fire on Durley Lane, Keynsham.
“On arrival firefighters found one caravan well alight affecting industrial units and workshops nearby. Firefighters used two 45mm jets, two hose reels and three thermal imaging cameras to extinguish the blaze and five firefighters wore breathing apparatus for safety.
“33 firefighters across seven fire appliances, one animal rescue vehicle, one hose layer and the drone’s unit attended the incident.
“Sadly, there was one horse fatality, however four horses were led to safety, one goat and two dogs were also rescued during the blaze.
“The cause of the fire remains unknown.”
To support Grace's fundraiser click here.
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