We are devastated, we have lost everything we have in a house fire including our three dogs

At around 20:55pm on Friday evening, a fire broke out at the family home of Mark and Janet Sanderson on Henley Avenue in Cleveleys, which they share with two of their sons - Charlie, 26, Harry, 25 - and their three dogs.

The couple, aged 59 and 62 respectively, were at the cinema with Charlie and Harry at the time, so thankfully they were all uninjured in the blaze which took the firefighters six hours to extinguish.

Tragically, however, their 10-year-old sausage dog called Sassy, their six-year-old mixed terrier called Suzie and one-year-old jack russell called Sammy, were left at home and so did not survive.

Describing what happened, the Sanderson’s eldest son George, who was first alerted to the blaze, said: “They went out at about 8:15pm and they believe that they've left a single candle lit in the rear of the house in the dining room. It’s gone unnoticed and within half an hour the whole house was ablaze.

“I had a phone call saying that my mum and dad's house was on fire and I said ‘well surely it can’t be that bad’ but it was that bad. I live in Stalmine and I could see the fire from the bridge as you cross over. Then when we got there, unfortunately it was completely wrecked. I couldn’t enter the property but I told the fire brigade there were three dogs in the house. 

“They were already doing whatever they could do to stop the fire spreading and then unfortunately just as my mom and dad arrived, they pulled the dogs out and they were trying to resuscitate them at the side of the road with gas and air which was terrible for them to see. My mom was in hysterics and so was my dad and my brothers. Then it was just a case of we were there with family and friends and we couldn't really do anything, we just watched what was happening.”

When the fire was finally extinguished, the fire service gave the family all the equipment they would need to bury their beloved pets so at 1:00am in the morning, that is what they did.

George, 36, said: “It was a very emotional experience, you’ve not just lost one dog, you've lost all three dogs in one go. They were a major part of their lives so to lose all three was devastating. 

“We buried them in the garden underneath a tree… with some of their possessions, like balls and various bits. My brother, the following day, when he managed to get into the house after it was deemed safe by the fire brigade, found some leads that had survived the fire because they were at the bottom in a conservatory area so he put them on top of the grave.”

The Sandersons- who all work for the family business Sanderson Facilities - have also lost all the possessions that had culminated in that house over the past 25-years of living there and unfortunately the property and belongings were not insured.

George said: “Because they come from a trade background, I believe the mindset was any small incidents, we can repair ourselves… but obviously, when it’s on such a catastrophic level as this, that was where it would come into play and unfortunately, they just didn't have it there. 

“So they are looking at rebuilding their lives from the ground up, including every possession they own - any possessions that have survived are that engulfed in smoke that we don't know if we'll be able to get the smell off.

“The house was my brother's childhood home and for me, that was my teenage years so between us it held the memories of our childhoods.”

George, himself a father of six, has now taken in his parents and brothers at his own family home.

He has also set up a GoFundMe to help them get back on their feet, which has so far raised over half of its £10k goal.

George said: “There's only so much that I can do as an individual and that people we know can do so I thought I would reach out to the wider community. We’re not begging, we’re just saying, look, if anyone can contribute anything, it’s better than nothing, be that a pound, or lending a hand or offering a shoulder to cry on.

“Although a terrible incident has happened, the support we've had from everyone, even people that we were estranged from, is nice to see. Everyone comes together and supports you in a time of need and the GoFundMe page shows that. We’re at £6000 pounds now and just to see that makes my mom and dad incredibly emotional.

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“As well as that, local businesses have reached out like the Backstage, which is a bar around the corner, have offered to do a bit of a fundraiser because my mum and dad would go there and listen to live music with my brothers. So it's just nice that the community -even though not everyone speaks all the time -has come together. 

“If there's anyone else in the local community who can help in any way shape or form… maybe you sell decorative items for homes or you own something that's just sitting there not been used for ages - please reach out, any options they'd be grateful to consider.

“When it comes to the level of tragedy like this, there is not an easy fix.”

You can donate to the GoFundMe here.