A woman from England who lost her home and possessions to a devastating fire credits her rescue dog, Dobby, with saving her life.
34-year-old Emma Churchill was left with her beloved pet and the pajamas she was wearing when a blaze tore through her caravan.
Ms. Churchill had been living in a caravan parked in her father’s driveway in Sevenoaks, Kent, when she was suddenly woken up by a fire on Christmas Eve of 2023.
“It was just a normal evening,“ she said. “We were all looking forward to Christmas, especially since I didn’t celebrate in 2022 because I was left homeless after issues with my universal credit allowance.”
Wanting to celebrate this year, Ms. Churchill got herself a little Christmas tree and put up decorations and presents under the tree.
“I thought, ‘This is going to be a really good Christmas; we’re going to make up for last year,” she said.
At 1 a.m., Ms. Churchill went to bed as usual but was woken up by Dobby an hour later.
“He was really whining, which he doesn’t normally do, and he was pacing up and down the bed,” she said. “I thought maybe he heard a cat or a dog, and that set him off. So, I started telling him to be quiet, but he was really going for it.”
However, when Ms. Churchill got up, she heard something that sounded like heavy raindrops.
“I was also feeling boiling hot, which is unusual as caravans are known for being cold,“ she said. “I went to turn on the light and realized there was no electricity.”
She soon smelled plastic burning.
“I thought ‘God, what is going on?’ and went to my bathroom to look outside through the window,” she said.
As soon as she opened her bathroom door, she saw an orange glow, and when she stuck her head out of the window, she saw that everything to the right-hand side of her caravan was ablaze.
When Ms. Churchill realized the severity of the fire, she called 999; grabbed her shoes, a dressing gown, and Dobby; and rushed outside.
“The flames were massive,” she said. “The smoke was so thick and strong, and there were embers from the fire flying everywhere.”
The shed around the back of her dad’s house was also up in flames.
“I had all my animals—two rabbits, two bunnies, and two guinea pigs—in there, and all I could think was that they were burning,” Ms. Churchill said.
Worried, she banged on her dad’s window and was able to successfully get him, her stepmom, and their dog out of the house.
But by this point, her mobile home, her pet shed, her dad’s garage, and his classic car had all gone up in flames. Ten minutes later, firefighters showed up.
When the first fire crew showed up, they had to prioritize the surrounding houses to ensure the fire didn’t spread and, thus, they let the caravan burn.
“Static caravans only take about 10 minutes until they’re burnt down to the axles, and, by that point, mine had,” Ms. Churchill said.
The fire crew then began hosing down all the neighbors’ properties to ensure the fire didn’t spread.
“Gradually, more and more fire engines turned up. There were five, by the end of it,“ she said. “I wasn’t sure how badly Dad’s garage had been damaged at this point. I knew the shed was gone with the animals because that was the first thing I saw.”
However, despite the emergency services’ best efforts, neither Ms. Churchill’s caravan, her pet shed, her dad’s garage, or his car could be saved.
“I was literally left with what I was wearing, which was my pajamas, my dressing gown, and a pair of Ugg boots,” Ms. Churchill said.
Looking back at the incident, Ms. Churchill said that when she first saw the flames, she didn’t realize how big the fire was or how quickly it was going to spread.
“I thought they'd put the fire out, and there might be a bit of damage, but I would go in later and get all my bits, see what I could salvage, but the whole lot was gone,“ she said. “Everything was ash.”
Despite losing almost everything, Ms. Churchill is grateful to Dobby for waking her up in time.
“If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know what would have happened,” Ms. Churchill said.
When Dobby was rescued in 2018, he was underweight, had no nails, and was covered in scars.
“He looks like a different dog now ...” Ms. Churchill said. “He’s just an amazing little dog. He’s so lovely, so sweet ... but I never thought in a million years that he'd wake me up to a fire.”
Currently, Ms. Churchill is staying at her friend’s place and has only now been able to realize the magnitude of the situation.
“My car keys went up, all my medication, my driving license, ID, birth certificate, car logbook, bank cards,” she said. “I literally have to try and start from scratch.”
Unable to replace what she lost, she has been trying to just collect the essentials.
Kent Fire Brigade confirmed they were contacted and were at the scene from 2:09 - 4:14 a.m.
A spokesperson said: “There were no reported injuries, and the cause of the fire has been linked to an extension lead.”
