Tilney home up in flames
A COUPLE'S West Norfolk retirement dream lies in ruins this week after fire ripped through their quiet farm house and destroyed the building in a matter of minutes.
Eva Paterson managed to flee the inferno with pet dog Sacha before watching helplessly as her home in Tilney St Lawrence became engulfed with flames on Thursday evening.
Fire crews arrived at the scene within 12 minutes of being called but failed to contain the raging blaze which had taken hold of the property.
On Friday morning Mrs Paterson's husband David, who was at the family home in London at the time of the fire, surveyed the gutted shell of the former farmhouse and told the Lynn News he was just relieved his wife and pet dog escaped with their lives.
'WENT UP SO QUICKLY'
He said: "She called me as it was happening and I said she should try to turn the electricity off.
"But within a few seconds she could not even get back in the house as it just went up so quickly.
"The ceilings had a strange fibre built in and once that took it just spread.
"My wife is very upset. She went back to London late last night, but could not sleep at all. She still cannot sleep.
"The fire brigade got here very quickly but the house had gone.
"We were thinking of re-building it, we had no insurance for it as it was in a decrepit state, in a way this has made up our minds."
Mr Paterson, a retired IT operator, believes the fire was sparked by the heat from a halogen lamp, which had been positioned close to a pelmet near the window in the living room.
Neighbour Joy Buckley said: "I looked out and could see the flames but I just thought it was a bonfire.
"At around 6.30pm it really took off, the flames kept getting higher and higher until they were as tall as the trees.
"All the trees are very close together and fortunately there was no wind to help it spread."
Fire crews from Terrington St Clement, West Walton and Lynn were called to the village at 7.10pm but had to rely on a water carrier from Fakenham to help extinguish the blaze.
Michael Neave, of the Terrington St Clement crew, said: "We were there within 12 minutes of the call but the fire was well established through the roof.
"Our efforts were hampered initially by a shortage of water. When you get out to the more rural areas like this the actual water mains are quite small.
"The supply is not as good as in the town areas and you cannot get the pressure you need."
Mr and Mrs Paterson bought the house after seeing it advertised as the "wreck of the week" in the Daily Telegraph's property section and were in the process of retiring to West Norfolk from their home in East Ham.
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Weather for King's Lynn
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
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