Firefighters hail village's 'rare' community spirit (From Oxford Mail)

Firefighters hail village's 'rare' community spirit

FIREFIGHTERS have thanked Appleton villagers who helped them while they tackled a blaze which tore through the home of a mother and her five children.

Villagers were quick to help 70 firefighters who were called to deal with the fire during freezing weather in January.

Armed with shovels, they cleared the area of ice and snow, and opened the village hall to allow the firefighters to eat and drink while they worked through the night.

Most of the house, which dated back to the 1300s, was destroyed, but the mother and her children escaped unharmed.

Yesterday, David Etheridge, Oxfordshire County Council’s Deputy Chief Fire Officer, presented villagers with a framed letter of thanks and a brigade plaque He said: “We knew as soon as we saw the fire, it was going to be a challenging night.

“The journey into the village was tough and because of the snow it took some time to find the nearest fire hydrant.

“The opening of the village hall was a very thoughtful gesture and the crews were grateful to have the chance to recover.

“The refreshments were well received, as was the opportunity to regather energy to tackle the fire. The Appleton community spirit is something we do not come across too often and we are delighted to present a framed letter of thanks and our brigade plaque as a record of our sincere thanks.”

The fire, which is not thought to have been started deliberately, was reported at about 8.30pm on Tuesday, January 5.

Residents opened the village hall at 10pm to provide somewhere warm for the firefighters to rest.

A team of ten volunteers from the Appleton Community Shop provided refreshments and hot drinks for the fire crews.

The director of Appleton Community Shop, Carol Bateman, said: “As soon as we heard what was happening, everyone mobilised very quickly, dashing around to find fire hydrants. It was instinct, we just wanted to help the family. We raided the shop’s shelves and opened the village hall. It’s very kind of the fire service to present the award, but I think thanks have to go to the firefighters, who did such a great job.”