Monday 23 May 2022 11:04 AM Young family are left devastated after horrific house fire kills their ... trends now
A young family have been left devastated after a horrific house fire that killed their beloved pet dog.
Caitlin Brook, 24, was out with her partner, Simon Miller, 28, and their two daughters, four-year-old Skyla and one-year-old Cara, when one of her friends rang to say her home was on fire.
Her friend then video called her to show her the thick black smoke covering the house in Catchgate, County Durham, at around midday.
Caitlin's two-year-old staffy, Lola, died in the fire on Sunday, May 15, as no one could access the property in time to save her.
The part-time university student and mum-of-two has moved in with a friend while waiting on the report to find out the cause of the fire, which is suspected to have started from her garden.
A young family have told of their heartbreak after a devastating housefire left them homeless and killed their two-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, named Lola (pictured)
Four-year-old Skyla (pictured) was heartbroken after learning that the family dog, Lola, had died
The young family from Catchgate, County Durham, have been left homeless after a conflagration ripped through their rental property and destroyed all of their belongings. Pictured: Caitlin Brook, 24, Simon Miller, 28, and their two daughters, four-year-old Skyla and one-year-old Cara,
Firefighters told Caitlin that, if she and her family had been in the house at the time, they would have only had ten minutes to get out alive
Caitlin said she found out about the fire after a neighbour video called her and showed her the plumes of black smoke emanating from the house
Although Caitlin shouted to her neighbour over the phone to get Lola the Staffy (pictured) out of the burning property, she said a bad signal interfered with the message
The fire is believed to have started in the property's garden, although the family is still waiting on the results of an official investigation
Caitlin explained: 'I just couldn't believe it when my friend told us.
'The first thing I shouted was get the dog out.
'Lola was inside and all I could think was she was trapped inside,
'I was screaming to get the dog out of the house but my connection was so bad.
'It's bad but I initially thought it was a joke until my friend video called me. It's what goes through your mind at first.
'You don't think something like this would ever happen to you.
'It was a rental and all I kept doing was apologising to my landlord.
'The damage is so bad that the house is going to be completely demolished.
'We were 25 minutes away from the house so there wasn't anything we could do except rush back home.
