Support after home destroyed in fire 'unbelievable'

The property was badly damaged in the blaze on 16 January

A family whose home was destroyed by a fire have said they cannot believe the "incredible generosity" of their community.

Louise Wass shared the property on Castlegate in Kirkbymoorside with her daughter Ruby Williams, 31, and both had been out of the house when it was gutted on 16 January.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

A fundraiser established by a family friend has already passed its £2,000 target in just two days.

Mrs Wass, a teaching assistant, was travelling back to Kirkbymoorside from a school trip when she saw smoke from a fire.

"I joked with one of the teachers to say it looked like it was close to mine but didn't think anything of it.

"As we pulled in to the school the secretary ran out to inform me that my house was on fire so I rushed back with a colleague."

She said when she arrived at her house the fire service was already on the scene.

"There wasn't much I could do but watch the fire as I was in complete shock."

Louise Wass and her daughter Ruby Williams were left with little but the clothes they were wearing after the fire gutted their home

Mrs Wass said she and her daughter had been lucky as both should have been at home on the day of the fire.

She had been asked the evening before to go on the school trip and so her daughter decided not to work at home.

"In times like this you have to look for any positives you can and thankfully neither of us were in on the day."

Due to the fire damage to a lot of the property along with smoke and water damage most of their personal items are gone.

"I think you forget what things you rely on until you don't have them any more, silly things like hairbrushes," she said.

The property was gutted in the fire and the family are in temporary accommodation

Jean Illingworth organised the fundraiser after approaching the family and said the fire had been "quite shocking" and she had just wanted to do something to help.

As of Tuesday the appeal had reached £2,385 and Mrs Illingworth said she was "astonished" at the response.

"I am so proud of Kirkbymoorside, it's such a giving community, such a close community. People just want to help," she said.

Mrs Wass said she wanted to express her "heartfelt thanks" to those who had donated.

"Words cannot fully capture how grateful we are for the incredible generosity we've received.

"We feel so fortunate to be part of such a supportive community, and we are truly overwhelmed by the kindness shown to us."

She said it had made them "quite emotional" how people had come together to offer support, from donations to items "it's honestly unbelievable".

The family also expressed their thanks to Mrs Illingworth for what she had done.

"She has been great and we are so lucky to have her in the community," Mrs Wass said.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.