Residents flee country house fire
A DEVASTATING fire has left people living in a country house near Tewkesbury homeless.
People living in flats within Shuthonger House fled when the Regency building was severely damaged in Sunday night's blaze.
Pete Smith was one of those who had to get out of the building when the fire took hold just before 7pm, in the hamlet of Shuthonger.
He has not yet been able to go back in to his flat to see how badly it is damaged, but he fears many of his personal possessions have been destroyed.
Barking
The 54-year-old said: "I was very lucky. My dog was barking and there was an acrid smell.
"The building was already well alight by then. The whole of the roof was burning by the time I came out."
He said all five people and their pets escaped safely from the flats.
Neighbours said the owners, who also live in part of the building, were on holiday at the time of the fire. They face returning from abroad today to find their home, which they have recently refurbished, seriously damaged.
The roof and top flats in the three-storey building have been badly affected.
Danny Parrish, who lives close to Shuthonger House, said: "We were having dinner with some friends when we could smell smoke. I opened the front door and I could see flames going up into the sky."
He said it was the first major fire in the village since its manor, which is next door to Shuthonger House, was wrecked 40 years ago.
Tea and coffee were laid on at the village's pub, The Crown, for those affected by the fire.
Residents face having to find somewhere else to live while the building is repaired and landlord Mark Thomas did his best to comfort them.
Police said it was believed the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault and were not treating it as suspicious.
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