Milton Keynes man left devastated after garden shed containing tools valued at £5,000 was destroyed by fire
A fundraising page has been set up to help a Milton Keynes man whose garden shed, which contained tools valued at around £5,000, was destroyed by fire.
The fire happened at a property on Goddards Croft in Wolverton at just after 12.30pm on Saturday July 11, with Bucks Fire and Rescue Service reporting that the incident involved a shed and multiple fence panels.
Firefighters used two sets of breathing apparatus, three hose reel jets and small gear to extinguish the fire.
The family told the MK Citizen that the fire was put down to ‘spontaneous combustion’ within the compost bin, but Bucks Fire and Rescue said it was not in a position to confirm the cause of the fire.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, says the shed was his ‘pride and joy’.
“He built the shed during lockdown,” a family member said.
“It originally started as a small shed and he built extras on to it, including an irrigation system leading to a flower bed on the side.”
The shed contained a large collection of tools that had been built up over the years, from time spent on woodwork projects as a hobby, and were estimated to have a value of £5,000.
A family member added: “The tools included table saws, circular saws, drills and socket sets. Honestly you name it he had it in that shed.
“In recent years, he’s made fun things out of scrap wood. He’ll collect unwanted wood from places, and he’s made things like birdhouses and custom fit wall mounted cupboards.
“He’s renovated his kitchen cupboard doors and drawers with spare wood, and he’s made his own knife block out of pallet wood.
“He’s created things like a backboard for his darts board and made creative wall mounts for his housemate.”
The man was out of the property at the time of the incident, with a neighbour rescuing his dog as the house became engulfed in smoke.
A family member said: “He returned to the destruction and spoke with the fire brigade and immediately tried hiding his feelings with humour.
“However, when I received his phone call I could hear in his voice that he was devastated.
“He needs to repair his back gate but can’t bring himself to go out and do it.
“His words to me were that he wanted to bury his head in the sand.
“The relief is that no one was harmed - that is the one positive we can take away from this.”
The fundraising page, set up by his housemate, is now live on the GoFundMe platform.