A couple whose home has been wrecked in a devastating fire have praised emergency services and the community after people rallied round to help them.
Gary Chapman and Justine Matthews, who have been forced to leave their Weymouth home, have told of their shock after losing many of their personal possessions and belongings and all their clothes in a fire which ripped through the upstairs of the property.
Thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused with the roof of the Park District property destroyed. It was caused by an electrical fault in a tumble dryer.
The couple, who are now living in a hotel, say the damage will take months to repair.
Inside the home, ash and debris can be seen trailing down the stairs, and the sky can be seen through the roof.
Justine, 56, was at home in Walpole Street when the fire broke out at lunchtime on Thursday. The fire partly spread to a neighbouring property with extensive smoke damage caused.
A number of homes were evacuated as a precaution as the fire - which sent a great plume of black smoke into the air - raged.
Justine had been making lunch for partner Gary, 64 - when she caught a whiff of something that 'wasn't bacon'.
Read more: Street evacuated after fire breaks out
Justine said she went upstairs, opened the door to the room containing the tumble dryer and was met by a great waft of smoke.
She immediately fled the building and called the fire service.
Eight fire engines were at the scene - approximately 35 firefighters.
Gary, a maintenance man at the Jubilee Hotel, was about to head home for lunch.
He said: "A neighbour down the road rang the hotel and said 'Let Gary know his house is alight'.
"So I ran around here just to make sure everybody was safe really."
Following the fire, members of the community, some of whom were also evacuated, pitched in to help the couple.
A member of the community provided them with suitcases of clothes.
The Jubilee Hotel have been providing them free temporary accommodation.
Gary added: "Everybody has been amazing. Real community spirit. You don't realise it is there until something like this happens."
The couple have lived in the house for eight years. The house is insured, and the couple are expecting the damage to be covered.
The building needs a 'whole new roof' in addition to the substantial fire damage to the upstairs living space.
Justine added: "We are both devastated, but thankful that no one was hurt.
"I want to thank the fire crews and the local community, who have been amazing."
Nearby residents were also asked to evacuate their homes whilst emergency services dealt with the incident, and the road was cordoned off for several hours.
READ MORE: Live blog, Fire breaks out on Walpole Street, Weymouth
A spokesperson for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Crews from Weymouth, Dorchester, Poole were mobilised and on arrival found a fire on the first floor of a residential property.
"The fire had also affected the adjoining homes and additional crews were requested; Portland, Bridport, Wareham, a support unit from Dorchester and the aerial ladder platform from Westbourne.
"The fire investigation officer believes the cause of the fire was from an electrical fault within a tumble dryer."
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