Community rallies to support elderly couple after house fire in Sutton Courtenay
Neighbours are fundraising to help Sylvia and Fred get back on their feet
Villagers in Sutton Courtenay have come together to support an elderly couple who lost their belongings in a house fire.
The blaze broke out in the early hours of 25th April, at the home of Sylvia and Fred - who are in their late eighties and early nineties and have lived in the property for nearly 60 years.
Melissa Head, who has been a neighbour of theirs for 23 years, described the moment the fire took hold.
“It was just so scary," she said. "The flames were so high and we were panicking."
She said that through living in a small cul-de-sac, the residents are "like family" and many came out to help.
Melissa explained that one neighbour even went in to rescue Fred, who has dementia, after he re-entered the burning building.
“All he could see was Fred’s feet and the front of his walker through all the smoke, so he just grabbed him and pulled him back out,” she said. “If it wasn’t for him, Fred may not have even made it.”
The fire is believed to have started in an upstairs bedroom, leaving the upper floor destroyed, while the downstairs is waterlogged from firefighters putting out the flames.
Sylvia and Fred are now staying in temporary accommodation in Oxford.
Melissa said the loss has been particularly difficult given how long the couple had lived in the home.
“It’s a whole lifetime, it’s all their memories,” she said. “Sylvia’s devastated with all her belongings gone, especially her photographs.”
In response, neighbours and the wider community have rallied to support the couple, including by setting up a fundraiser which is almost at £4,000.
"We go to them daily to take them any donations we've been given, make sure they're okay, take them to any appointments that they need to go to," Melissa said. "We've all pulled together."
Despite the devastation, she said the couple are grateful for the support they have received.
“They can’t thank us enough,” she said. “But the main thing is they’re alive and they’re together."
Melissa also wanted to express her gratitude to the community and the emergency services who helped on the night.
"Everybody's been so supportive - the fire brigade and the paramedics were so fast and so efficient, but of course the neighbours too," she said. "The support and the care is amazing."