A widow and a mother-of-three have spoken of how they have lost “everything” after a blaze destroyed both their homes in Moray.
Emergency services were called to Regent Street, in Keith, at around 9am on Monday following reports of a fire affecting two homes on the street.
Eight fire engines were sent to the scene and the blaze was brought under control with no injuries reported – however, Dorothy Mitchell, who has lived in her home in Keith for 56 years, says “everything” was in her home which is now burnt out.
“I heard burning, and I heard this cracking like a sparking noise”, she told STV News. “My first thought was phone chargers, so I checked my phone chargers, nothing there.
“I went up the stair into the shower room, and the smoke was coming out the room to meet me.
“So I just closed the door, phoned the fire brigade and got out.
“Everything’s in there.”
![The roof of both properties was left destroyed](https://news.stv.tv/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/db68984e77039ff2c89143a50d66ca48-1724183754.jpeg)
The roof of both properties was left destroyed, leaving Lindsay Mather and her three children, also homeless.
She said: “I just dropped the kids at school and I came back to the house.
“I was like ‘oh my word’ when I saw the smoke coming out the room.
“I think last night it hit the kids. They are asking for their specific toy, and all I can say is, I’ll save it if I can.”
A fundraiser has now been launched by a local resident in a bid to help those who have lost their homes.
Organiser Taylor Stirling said: “There both needing everything from clothes to fixing their properties or finding somewhere else to live. So that money gives them a kickstart.
![Taylor Stirling set up a fundraiser to help those who have lost their homes in Keith, Moray.](https://news.stv.tv/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/d18c4c2ff617b6baf787a739ef1f837c-1724227164.jpeg)
“It doesn’t fix the problem, but it gives them a start to it.”
So far, over £5,000 has been raised for the two women and a link to the GoFundMe page can be found here.
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