Stourbridge couple watches their 26-year home reduced to ashes by wildfire

Robin, 82, a retired butcher, and his 78-year-old wife Loxie spent Thursday afternoon out with friends when a grass fire erupted near Stourbridge Golf Club. By the time they came back, the road was blocked and they could only see the inferno on a TV screen. The blaze, which burned over 500 acres on the region’s hottest day so far, razed nineteen houses across five streets and damaged another eighteen, including the Williams’ four-bedroom residence on Ounty John Lane.

The couple lost almost all of their belongings, with only a few items such as a teacup and burnt clothing remaining. Fire crews, numbering more than one hundred, fought the flames before diverting resources to shield adjacent properties, and the Williams were later escorted back by the West Midlands Fire Service. Their garden, a long-time project of Robin’s, was also devastated, but nearby homes were saved. The couple expressed deep gratitude for the volunteers and firefighters who assisted them after the disaster.