Fire-hit resident told rebuild to take six months

A man whose home was one of several damaged or destroyed by a large fire said it may be six months before he can return to live in his home.

Bob Musson said he was devastated to see his bungalow almost burned to the ground when a fire started last week in the gardens of Stonehouse Avenue, Willenhall, in the West Midlands, which completely destroyed two other homes.

Residents fled with a just a handful of items and were left to watch the blaze rapidly tear through their homes.

"It was that fierce and it moved that quickly, we were hopeless against it," he said. However, insurers have told Musson his property is potentially salvageable.

The fire was one of several firefighters were called to in the West Midlands on Thursday.

Crews were not able to reach the bungalows for more than an hour and a half.

Musson said he returned home on Thursday and initially saw smoke at the bottom of his road, called his neighbour out to look at it and phoned the fire brigade.

"But they took an hour and a half to get here and by that time the fire had travelled so rapidly up the avenue, in the back gardens, through all the fences and the trees... [it] eventually started coming up the fences to the houses," he added.

"I could see but I couldn't do anything about it."

His neighbour, grandmother Paula Fenton, lost everything in the fire while another neighbour came out of his house in only his slippers.

Musson said he was devastated at first and did not realise how much he had lost, but he said his insurers have said his house can be saved.

"They've said they can do it all, get it cleaned and get me back in in six months," he said.

A neighbour had offered her home as somewhere he could stay while the repair work is carried out, he added..

"It'll be most convenient being next door to my property... yes, she's been great which I am most grateful for," Musson said.

All his neighbours have been good at helping those affected which was "first class", he said.

"It's brilliant the way people are helping, it really is."

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