Charging unit may have been cause of devastating Barnard Castle flats blaze

A GROUP of Barnard Castle flats devastated by a major fire will take another nine months to repair.

Four fire engines and as many as 16 firefighters spent hours extinguishing the blaze at Bouch Way, in Barnard Castle, in June.

Five flats were rendered uninhabitable by the blaze and residents have been forced to find accommodation elsewhere in the meantime.

Flat owners Oakland Management Company (OMC) Ltd, of Barnard Castle, revealed the building would take another nine months to be repaired fully.

A company spokesperson said: “A schedule of works has just been agreed so we hope that builders can be appointed but it is still estimated that it could take up to a further nine months for the project to be completed.

“Due to the amount of damage it will take many weeks to list everything that needs to be repaired or replaced and then appoint builders to undertake the works.” The fire started in flat 30 on the third floor before it moved into flat 27.

A further three homes suffered from water damage during efforts to extinguish the blaze.

A charging unit has been pointed to as a possible cause but a lack of evidence due to the destructive impact of the blaze has made gathering conclusive evidence very difficult.

David Bodycombe, secretary of OMC, said: “The insurance company did an initial report but they were not prepared to go back in to do further research.

“Whatever caused the fire is under feet of tiles and plaster so it would mean sieving what’s there and you still

may not end up with anything.”

The fire forced flat owners and tenants to salvage what they could from their belongings, but there was little left in Flat 30 to be rescued.

“There was a hair dryer and all that was left was the heating element,” added Mr Bodycombe.

A campaign to support Flat 30 tenant, Laura Shaw, has raised more than £4,300 in the wake of the fire.

Ms Shaw thanked dale folk for their compassion, friendship and kindness in the months following the fire.

Mr Bodycombe confirmed all those forced out of their flats by the blaze had found somewhere to live in the meantime.

However, he revealed he’d been approached by several “ambulance chasers” in the days following the fire touting for business.

Mr Bodycombe added: “The first one was on the Friday morning – I came home at ten to nine and there was someone sat on my doorstep in Darlington.”

Scaffolding has been erected around the flats to make the building watertight to allow it to dry out and the middle section of the roof needs rebuilding.

The flats remain fenced off and Mr Bodycombe urged the public to stay out.

A spokesperson for OMC added: “The management company is fully insured for the building and the insurance company has agreed to accept the loss and accommodation costs of those who have had to move out.

“The leaseholders/residents do, however, have the responsibility of insuring the contents of their own flats.”