'Everything is gone': Sutherland community rallies round after friends lose their home and pets in devastating fire
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A Sutherland community is rallying round in support of two friends who “lost everything” in a fire which destroyed their living accommodation and killed their three cats and two of their three dogs.
Richard Dixon and Shirley Kobiela were forced to flee for their lives as flames ripped through a new building they had almost completed near Whitehill in Loth and then took hold of their nearby campervan and bus in the early hours of August 31.
Richard said: “Literally everything is gone. Photos of our three kids going back years. It’s all gone. We have to move on really. That is all we can do.”
Colleagues and friends of the pair, who are both popular volunteers at Timespan Museum and Arts Centre, in Helmsdale, have now launched a fundraiser in a bid to help get them back on their feet.
Richard and Shirley, who were formerly in a relationship but are now friends, have enjoyed an itinerant lifestyle living off-grid and working across the globe. They decided to settle in Helmsdale around two years ago having had previous ties with the port – Shirley’s mum ran a guest house in Lilleshall St from 2001-2003.
“We managed to secure a quarter of an acre of ground 200 ft above sea level with trees and a brilliant view,” said Richard. “I thought, let’s build a little place here and live off the grid. Build some solar panels and be happy. There was a monkey puzzle tree too!”
The couple parked up their campervan and bus in an L-shaped formation on the site and began to erect a one-room building to complete their accommodation complex - the building was to serve as a kitchen and seating area with a shower facility.
They had all but finished the new space, with ceiling insulation and outside cladding the only jobs left to do, when disaster struck.
Shirley, who was in the bus at the time, said: “I saw flames belching and swirling out from the side of our new building, I made to get a hose but as soon as I opened the bus doors, I knew it was a lost cause.The whole roof was glowing orange and the place was engulfed with smoke.
“Richard and I were tripping over each other, things were falling down behind us and the flames were above our heads. As soon as we got out we dialled 999 and just watched it burn to the ground in minutes.”
The campervan, bus and building were all destroyed in the blaze, which Shirley thinks could have been caused by a recently installed gas boiler.
There was more heartbreak for Richard and Shirley when they discovered that two of their pet dogs, Lyra and Pippa had tragically died in the fire.
Richard said: “We began to look for our dogs. Shirley called up the hillside and Koda, our red collie came down, but Lyra and Pippa didn’t. It was only when I was clearing the rubbish a few days later that I found their bodies.”
Their three cats, Jemima, Belle and Bella were also lost.
Richard and Shirley are now staying with friends and waiting for alternative housing, which could take months.
They say they are hugely grateful for the GoFundMe page (to make a donation, click here) set up by Timespan colleagues Laurie Brown and Giulia Gregnanin with the aim of raising £5000 to purchase essentials and help with temporary housing costs.
“People around here are amazing,” said Shirley. “The genuine love and compassion from everybody in this village and further afield has been astounding.
“From such a horrific thing, people shine and we are reminded of the thing we really have is love for one another. That can never be extinguished.”
A spokesperson for Timespan said: “Richard and Shirley are exceptional people who have dedicated their time volunteering at Timespan, bringing beautiful live music to the community. What has happened is beyond devastating and although it will take time to recover, your help however big or small will make a huge difference.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said: "We were alerted at 00.15am on Thursday, August 31, to reports of a fire involving a caravan and a bus near Helmsdale. Operations control mobilised three appliances. Firefighters extinguished the fire and worked to make the area safe."
