Elderly couple left homeless after weeding garden leads to massive blaze

DAUGHTER KENDRA BURROWS IS APPEALING FOR HELP AFTER A DEVASTATING FIRE SWEPT THROUGH THE HOME OF HER ELDERLY PARENTS, WHO HAVE BEEN LEFT TRAUMATISED BY THEIR ORDEAL 10:14, 22 May 2025Updated

10:29, 22 May 2025 The family of an elderly couple who lost precious mementoes when a weed burner blaze ripped through their bungalow has launched a desperate appeal for help. Fire broke

out on Saturday in the home in Prestatyn, North Wales, when Brenda Burrows, 83, used the weed burner - a device which applies intense heat to unwanted plants to destroy them - on her

driveway. With temperatures high and windy that day, embers from the treated weeds are believed to have swept under the garage door of the home in a freak accident. A blaze then quickly took

hold despite Brenda's best efforts to dampen it which left the couple's garage "100 percent damaged" and brought down ceilings and ruined furnishings in the home as well

as wiping out precious memories. READ MORE: Tragic final moments dad shared with son, 1, before being killed on way home from party Brenda's other half of more than 40 years Harold

Sharp, who turned 90 the day after the fire, suffers from dementia and poor mobility and was watching TV when fire began to rip through the home. He was rescued by four neighbours, one of

whom smashed a window to reach the elderly gent. "My parents are very traumatised," said the couple's daughter Kendra Burrows, 55. "They're both in total shock.

"My dad has dementia so he keeps forgetting the house has been on fire, he keeps asking to go home which is impossible." Kendra was working in South Wales when she received a phone

call from her sister Toni, who lives in Wigan, Lancs. "An old friend had contacted her through Facebook," she said. "I answered the phone and my sister was screaming, saying

the house was on fire. When I realised it was my mum's house, it was just total panic." Brenda and Harold had lived in their home for 40 years and their family say it wasn't

insured, meaning Kendra has launched a GoFundMe appeal to raise funds to repair the damage and get her parents moved back in as quickly as they can. The couple, who have six grandchildren

and three great-grandchildren, have been living with Kendra in Rhyl since Saturday and are about to move into temporary accommodation which is more suitable for their mobility needs. Brenda

and Harold's loved ones have already hired a skip to remove items destroyed in the blaze with the funds they've already raised. Shocking photos taken on Saturday show a huge plume

of black smoke rising up from the couple's home with a burning fireball at its core. Inside the home, pictures taken after the blaze show insulation hanging through destroyed ceilings.

Article continues below Kendra, whose parents have moved into her home in Rhyl, said she had been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the local community. "We've had so

many messages," she said. "We are so touched and grateful for all the help that has been offered." A spokesperson from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service told the Rhyl

Journal: "We were called to a fire... at 5.15pm on Saturday, May 17. The fire caused 100 percent damage to the garage of the property. Four crews attended. The casualties were given a

precautionary check at the scene." Caution should always be taken when using weed burners, with the risk of uncontrolled fires heightening in dry or windy weather.