Fundraising pages set up for family displaced by thatched cottage fire

The blaze at the dwelling, owned by the National Trust, on Cowgrove Road was tackled by 50 firefighters on May 23, although no one was injured in the fire.

Eight vehicles and two water carriers were on site, as fire crews drew water from the River Stour to extinguish the fire.

• Fire crews tackle thatched property fire in Cowgrove, Wimborne

A spokesman from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said that the building was almost “totally destroyed”.

Graham Kewley, group manager for fire safety delivery as Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We received our first call at just after two o’clock in the afternoon.

“We quickly identified that it was a fire at a thatched cottage which allowed us to send the appropriate vehicles, so pumps and support vehicles were sent out.

“We acknowledged that the roof structure could not be saved but we were able to help the family and send me in to retrieve some of their possessions.

“The extent of the damage is that it is almost totally destroyed. The roof structure has actually fallen down inside the building.”

Early investigations suggest that the cause of the fire was due to heat transfer from the chimney, as there was a wood burning stove in the fire place.

• Read more: Thatched home destroyed by fire in Pamphill, Wimborne

Mr Kewley added: “The features of a thatched cottage and the historic aspects of it that you are trying to protect makes it vulnerable if a fire takes hold.

“In terms of a prevention message, both the family and the trust had done everything they could to make the building safe from fires.

“The chimney had been recently cleaned and working smoke alarm were fitted in the property, but the fire was too strong that it couldn’t have been stopped.

“It is an unfortunate feature of the rural community and thatched cottages in particular.”

Fire crews are currently on watch alert, but the responsibility has been handed back to the National Trust, who own the property.

A spokesman from the National Trust said: “‘We are aware of a devastating fire at a tenanted cottage on the Kingston Lacy Estate in Dorset.

“Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. We are supporting our tenants through this and the fire department are investigating.

“We would ask anyone to stay away from the area during this time.”

In the wake of the fire, two separate fundraising pages have been set up to raise money for family who lost many possessions in the fire.

• Read more: Firefighters tackle heath fire on Turbary Common

So far, the two fundraising pages have collected over £2,500 in total.

Former Wimborne mayor Anthony Oliver MBE, who was on the scene on Sunday afternoon, said: “It was heart-breaking to see the house burned down in the way that it was. There was quite a wind yesterday which didn’t help matters.

“I really would have thought that there was nothing the firefighters could do to save the property, but they have done a great job in getting some of the family’s items out of the house.

“The other good thing is that there are two fundraising pages that have been set up to raise money for the family and the National Trust, and they have raised so much money already.”