A couple whose lives have been devastated by a fire at their East Lancashire home have appealed to the public for help.
Chelsea Anderson, from Accrington, and her partner Nick Farr say the fire, which broke out on Monday (August 15), killed several pets, destroyed many of their belongings and left them without a home to live in.
Three fire engines were called to the couple's home, in Horne Street, Accrington on Monday morning.
Crews were at the scene for around an hour, putting out the flames and making the property safe.
Nick, 32, said his “heart sank” when he got a call from Chelsea saying there had been a fire.
He said: “My partner was distraught and she just told me ‘the house is on fire come quick’.
“My initial thought was about the pets and my heart just sank. We found out that not all of them survived.
“As far as we understand it was a complete accident and firefighters think it was because of an electrical malfunction - but this is still being investigated.”
Their six-year-old Pomeranian cross Poderick didn’t survive the fire along with their cat, Jinx, and 20-week-old kitten Nimbus.
Some hamsters also died while their rabbit, who was outside at the time of the fire, survived.
According to Nick, Poderick was Chelsea’s “rock” and the couple are devastated about his death.
Nick said: “He was my partner’s best friend and he had been with her through everything over the last few years.
“He was her rock and really kept her going.
“We are one of those couples that aren’t interested in having kids so they were like our ‘fur babies’.”
After the fire the couple said it felt like “their world was over”.
The fire, which is thought to have started downstairs, also destroyed the majority of the clothes leaving their bedroom and bathroom smoke damaged.
Many kitchen appliances were also destroyed.
Nick said: “All of the cupboards, electricals and white goods are gone.
“The dryer is melted to bits, the fridge freezer and cooker are gone.
“We were very despondent and felt like our lives were over. We just didn’t know how we would recover from this financially.”
Currently, the couple are living with family members and are unsure how, when and if they will be able to move back in.
They said they are “grateful” for all the help they have received from loved ones so far.
Nick’s sister, Alexandra Farr, set up a GoFundMe for the couple so they can afford pet cremations and to pay for new kitchen appliances.
They are hoping to raise £3,000 and have raised £1,215 at the time of writing.
Nick said: “We were struggling financially just about getting by as it was, as I am sure everyone else is too with the cost of living crisis.
“And now this happens and it has just depleted our savings. We can’t afford the big stuff, like fridges and a washing machine.
“I want to thank everyone who has helped us and if anyone can donate to, or just share, the GoFundMe it would be a great help.”
A spokesperson for the fire service said the fire is currently under investigation.
You can find the GoFundMe here: https://gofund.me/ee0b6d2c
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