A devastating fire has left a family in Warstock with nothing but their pet gerbils after their home was destroyed. Paul Stephens was sunbathing in his garden when the blaze tore through the property. The family's two gerbils, kept in an enclosure in the downstairs living room, survived the incident.
"The kids have one gerbil each, and they survived," Stephens told BBC News. "When we went back the next day, we thought the firemen were bringing out two dead gerbils but they weren't, they were alive."
The family of six is currently staying in temporary accommodation while they search for a permanent home. Paul Stephens has severe neuropathy, requiring accessible housing, which has complicated their search. "We're being passed from Airbnb to Airbnb at the moment because every house that we go for is not suitable, or for some other reason we can't get it," he said. "We just need a bit of luck [but we] don't seem to be having any at the moment."
Community members have provided support, donating clothes and tablets for the children. "The people in the community… they [have gone] above and beyond. They went and bought them new clothes and tablets and all, because all their computers and stuff and everything was all in there," Stephens added. The family is now focused on finding a new home to begin rebuilding their lives. 
