A COUPLE whose house was badly damaged in a blaze praised strangers for coming to their aid.

Alison McCleave, 48, and husband Darron, 51, had just turned the lights out to go to bed shortly after midnight on Friday when they noticed a glow coming from the loft of their bungalow in Vanderwalt Avenue, Canvey.

The light fitting in the kitchen had caught alight, causing flames to fill the loft.

Sentimental items were destroyed including photographs, Mrs Cleave’s wedding dress and memorabilia belonging to their late parents.

The kitchen was gutted– but the couple have been humbled by the support they have received from the community.

Mrs McCleave said: “I have been on Canvey for 15 years and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

“We had complete strangers running to our rescue when they noticed the smoke.

“Our neighbours have been letting us use their power, and we’ve had so many things donated to us to help us get back on our feet. People have been turning up on the doorstep just to check we’re OK.”

Castle Point Council offered Mr and Mrs McCleave temporary accommadation in the wake of the blaze, but they decided to stay put for the sake of their beloved dogs. The couple’s plight was posted on Facebook group, Canvey Island Then and Now, and kindhearted members rallied round to donate a fridge, microwave and kettle so the couple could survive in their own home.

Mrs McCleave added: “If my husband hadn’t been so brave we would have lost so much more. He used a hose pipe to put out the flames while we waited for firefighters to arrive.

“Some stuff can’t be replaced, but it could have been a lot worse.

“Our two dogs are our babies and there is no way I could put them in kennels.

It would just destroy them.

“They’re already traumatised because they went through a lot on the night of the fire.”