A HUSBAND and his wife were heartbroken to see their family home go up in a blaze.

Yesterday at around 3.30am fire crews were called to reports of a blaze at a property in Soutergate, Ulverston.

Five fire engines attended the blaze which is believed to have started in the attic.

At one point the firefighters had to withdraw from the building as the ceiling collapsed on the first floor.

Occupants, including animals, on both sides of the building were evacuated. 

The fire crews didn't leave the scene until 11.30am.

Mike Jackson and Lesley Sadler have owned the property in Soutergate, Ulverston for 25 years.

The three-floor property was vacant at the time of the fire as Mr Jackson and Mrs Sadler were at their second home in Roose.

Mr Jackson said: "We were there at the weekend and left on the Sunday. Everything seemed fine.

"I couldn't believe what I was being told when I got the phone call. I just can't understand how this has happened."

The house in Soutergate is the couple's main residence but due to his wife's health problems, they spend a lot of their time at the house in Roose.

Mr Jackson said: "We had a lot of personal things in there which will have been destroyed. It's been a bit of a shock. Me and my wife are quite shaken by it all."

The house next door to the property was also badly damaged by the fire.

The family have had to move out.

Tom Philipson, who lives there with his wife and two children, said: "We woke up when the smoke alarms started going off.

"It was quite frightening, at first we thought it was our house on fire but we soon realised it was next door.

"The fire crew did a brilliant job, despite all the pressure that's been put on them recently.

"At the end of the day we are all alright and that's what matters. No one was hurt."

Another neighbour who had to be evacuated was Jennifer Patton.

She also lives next door to the house that was on fire.

She said: "I have been trying to clean up all the dirt from the smoke. There's quite a lot of water damage too. 

"The fire crew were wonderful. They came at around 3.45am and didn't stop working for hours. 

"We can't praise them enough, they were marvellous."

The cause of the fire is being investigated but it isn't believed to be suspicious.

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