10 years ago | Chamberlains Farm, Shevington Moor, UK | 22nd February 2014

Ten years ago, I looked out of an upstairs window one night and saw the unmistakeable orangey flicker that instantly made my stomach lurch . A raging fire at the neighbouring farm.

It’s only technically a neighbouring property. It’s more true to say that it’s across the road – and the road in question is the M6. It should also be added that the fire was clearly affecting outbuildings, well away from the farmhouse, and that emergency services were already in attendance. There appeared to be no danger to anything other than property.

Having lived through the effects of a real fire (and even then, thankfully, not a house fire), it was particularly concerning to see it happening again.

While, the threat to life and safety is always the main concern, even when there’s no confirmed human danger, it’s true that “everything else can be replaced”. What’s also true is that the replacement process is long and often tortuous. Even when no-one is harmed by a fire, the effects can still be painful and long-lasting. For that reason, our neighbours had my sympathy, that night.