Wooden bungalow destroyed in blaze

Fire investigators will be combing the area in a bid to determine how the fire started.

A puppy also perished in the blaze, which has left the property's tenants homeless.

Mrs Zoe Sinclair and her husband Iain - owners of the nearby Tollgate Farm - built the bungalow themselves when they were first married and it is now owned by their son who rented it to private tenants.

Mr and Mrs Sinclair are recovering from the effects of a fire earlier this year which destroyed their farm shop, feed storage area and workshop.

Mrs Sinclair said: "We have no idea how it started. The young couple who lived there had just left that morning. They were moving the young woman's stuff in and weren't there. It is devastating for them, they are a lovely couple. They lost the puppy and also the young man's grand piano.

"It was a beautiful bungalow but it was wooden and it went up very quickly. It's a great loss especially coming so soon after the last fire here. It was the last thing we needed."

Two appliances from St Albans and one each from Hatfield and Potters Bar were called to the scene at 10.20am on Sunday morning but were not able to save the building 90 per cent of which was destroyed.

Leading Firefighter Geoff Brace of St Albans Fire Station said. "The house fire was burning so fiercely a decision was made not to go inside. The whole of the roof had gone by the time we arrived and the building was beyond saving."

Neighbour Mrs Maureen Mapley saw the latter stages of the fire.

She said: "It went up extremely quickly, the flames must have been 20 feet high. It was very dramatic.

"There were lots of fire engines and police cars and ambulances and I am just pleased that no one was hurt.

"They found two cats who were OK and they asked me if I wanted to take one in but I've got two of my own so I couldn't. If they had been kittens it might have been okay but adult cats wouldn't take other adults into the home."

November 6, 2001 10:30