An Inverness family has spoken of their devastation after losing their two dogs and all their possessions in a house fire.
Homeowners Amanda and Keith Goodbrand were making their way to visit their daughter Lisa at Raigmore Hospital on Wednesday when the fire broke out at their Hilton Avenue home.
Fire crews from Inverness and Beauly worked for more than seven hours to extinguish the flames and stop them from spreading.
Despite their best efforts, the family’s Chihuahuas Lottie and Alfie died amidst all of the couple’s treasured possessions.
Jackie Campbell – one of the couple’s four children – said the cause of the electrical fire originated from her parent’s fridge freezer.
She was at home when she received a FaceTime call from her mother, informing her about the fire.
‘Nothing can bring back the dogs’
Ms Campbell said the ordeal has left the family “numb.”
She said: “I don’t know what there is to say. Nothing can bring back the dogs and it can’t bring back what’s been lost. My mum and dad are hurting, all because of a fridge freezer they got eight months ago.
“The house was pretty much our family hub. This was where we came for Christmas dinner and for birthdays. Some of us have still got clothes in there and my kids have got an Xbox in there.
“My grandad lived with us growing up. He passed away but there is stuff of his still in the house. It is full of memories.
“We were told if my mum and dad were in there, the chances of them making it out alive were slim.”
She added: “My mum and dad feel guilt for the dogs, asking themselves, “What if we didn’t go out to see my sister and stayed in the house.”
“The dogs were my sister Lisa’s, but they were pretty much the family’s dogs. They were like little kids. You would say, “You’re off to Nana and Papa’s” and they would get all excited.
“They were like humans and it feels like we have lost a niece and a nephew and a grandson and a granddaughter. My sister feels like she has lost her kids.”
Fire crews battle to save Inverness family home
Five fire crews descended on Hilton Avenue shortly before 8pm following a 999 call about a house fire.
Two teams from Inverness and three teams from Beauly were dispatched to the scene.
Crews remained at the property throughout the night as they worked to contain and extinguish the fire.
Firefighters used four breathing apparatus, two hose reel jets, one covering jet and hand tools.
The final appliance left the scene at around 3.11am the following morning.
Pictures taken by the family in the aftermath of the fire show the severity of the damage to the property.
Large amounts of debris can be seen strewn across the floor and garden of the Inverness property, covered in thick soot.
Daughter launches crowdfunded to support heartbroken parents
To help their parents recover what has been lost, Ms Campbell’s sister Dana launched a GoFundMe page.
Within just 48 hours, the community rallied around to help the family, raising more than £4,400 in donations.
Ms Campbell said the level of support they have received has been overwhelming.
She added: “There are no words to describe how the whole family, not just my mum and dad, feel. We’re blown away by the words and support.
“We thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts. This is not something we ever thought we would have to do but if it was someone else, we would do it for them. We are that sort of family.”
