Fire destroys Ancrum farmhouse

Avril Harris outside the shell of her home in Ancrum after Monday night's fire. Photos: Bill McBurnie.

Furlong Farm, owned by Avril and Gordon Harris, burned down on one of the coldest nights so far this winter.

The fire began as Avril, 62, was taking a bath.

She said: “The power cut and I heard a dull bang, so I went to see what was going on.

Avril Harris at her home in Ancrum which was destroyed by fire on Monday night.

“I saw the orange light behind one of the doors downstairs and rang 999 immediately and we both got out.

“The fire service came and tried to deal with the fire, but there’s nothing left ... it’s burned to the ground.

“It’s the worst time for this to happen. We run the Pirn House cafe [at Charlesfield] and it’s closed due to the lockdown.

“The quicker we are able to open there the better.

“We had to stay at our daughter’s house in Edinburgh the first night because we had nowhere else to go.

“We are now able to stay in a house in Ancrum for two weeks, but we’ll need to find somewhere else to live. It will take about a year to rebuild at Furlong.”

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 8.26pm on Monday, January 4 to reports of a building fire at a farm in Ancrum, Jedburgh, Scottish Borders.

“Operations Control mobilised six fire appliances to the scene where crews worked to extinguish a well-developed fire within a two-storey farmhouse.

“One female casualty was handed into the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service.

“Firefighters left after making the area safe.”

A crowdfunding appeal to help the couple out has raised more than £2,000.

Fizz Calder, who launched the appeal on Just Giving, said: “I don’t actually know them, but I live in Ancrum and we always pull together as a community and support each other.

“I started this appeal so they have money to go on basics as they have lost everything.”

Avril added: “I can’t thank the whole community enough, they have been so kind. People have come to me with boots, clothes and a blanket, as I left the house barefoot, wearing just a pair of pyjamas, and all our clothes are gone.”

As well as the crowdfunding appeal, a collection bucket is also in place at local cafe, the Ancrum Pantry.