Vandals torched our conifers ... and could have killed us all
A FAMILY say only the quick thinking of neighbours saved them from tragedy after arsonists torched a hedge and nearly set their house on fire on Saturday.
Jonathan Frost, 46, his wife June, 52, and their 18-year- old daughter Chelsie were asleep when their conifer trees, which were planted before they moved in to the house 21 years ago, were set ablaze at 1am.
Mr Frost said: ‘We heard banging on the door. I ran downstairs and thought something was going on with my parents, who live nearby, but this lady said, “Your conifers are on fire!”
‘The trees were quite tall, but nobody has ever said anything to me about them. We usually keep to ourselves, we wouldn’t have thought that anyone has a grudge against us,’ he added.
The trees had enclosed the family’s front garden in Milton, Staffordshire. Now they stand blackened and burnt out.
Mr Frost said: ‘We were lucky this lady came and knocked on the door and a plumber also came to help out. My daughter was calling the fire bridge and I went to the shed to get a bucket, but my wife had moved the keys somewhere so I couldn’t get in. ‘The flames came right up to the front door because of the line of conifers. It could so easily have damaged the windows and got in the house. I was just in a daze.’
Steve Cuthbertson, 32, was driving home with a friend when he saw the fire and called 999.
Mr Cuthbertson said that they turned the gas supply to the house through the wall of flame’ as they off, and saw a neighbour ‘climb tried to help. This is the second time in two years that the trees have been targeted. Mr Frost, who believes the incidents to be unrelated, said arsonists attempted to torch the hedge before, but only managed to in burn a small hole in it. In addition to restoring their garden, the Frost family will have to pay for repairs to the house after the fire brigade hoses caused water damage. Mr Frost said: ‘The roof was smoking so they hosed that down. If the fire had caught the roof then I wouldn’t like to think what would’ve happened. I don’t know what possesses people to do it.’ He praised the ‘complete stran- gers’ who came to his family’s aid: ‘I don’t even know who they are but we’re really grateful.’