Dacorum Council supports residents affected by house fire near Berkhamsted

Residents affected by the house fire in Northchurch, near Berkhamsted, yesterday are being supported by Dacorum Borough Council.

Nine fire engines from stations across Hertfordshire attended the house fire in Herons Elm, Northchurch, yesterday afternoon (Thursday).

Police closed nearby roads and asked the public to avoid the scene while they assisted the fire service.

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Fire affecting the roof areas of multiple properties."

The fire service ended the incident just before 7pm.

The assistant director of housing at Dacorum Borough Council went to Herons Elm last night to support residents.

A spokesperson for Dacorum Borough Council said: “Our Housing Team have been liaising with the residents to provide assurances over the next steps at what is a difficult time for them, so that they are aware of the timescales for repairs.

"We are in the process of identifying properties for those households who need to be moved out whilst the reinstatement works are undertaken.

"All agencies have worked together to deal with the emergency, help residents and leave the site secure."

Cllr Lara Pringle, ward councillor for Northchurch, said: "I heard all the sirens and went out to see everything was okay.

"Northchurch is a really tight-knit community and most people know each other, I wanted to go down and offer a friendly face to those residents affected by the fire.

"Fortunately nobody was hurt and a number of residents were allowed to return home earlier but there is severe structural damage to some of the houses.

"I spoke to evacuated residents to offer practical support to make sure they had somewhere to go for the night and gave my number to the emergency services to pass to residents, if anyone needed support.

"A lot of the residents had been evacuated to Northchurch rec so I spoke to them to make sure they were all okay, they seemed relatively calm, I think they were all in shock.

"A number of residents clearly had very scary experiences having to leave work and rescue pets from smoke filled houses, but everyone was so grateful that nobody was hurt.

"The Assistant Director of Housing at Dacorum Borough Council went down to the area and offered emergency help to all affected.

"I think most of those affected had sorted somewhere to stay for the night, everyone was looking out for each other, which is lovely to see in such difficult situations.

"The local community in Northchurch is rallying round and helping those affected."