A Birmingham father has spoken of his heartbreak after his summer house, built over four months, was destroyed in minutes during a large fire on Gorleston Road in Highters Heath on August 13. Srikanth Meadavarapu helped alert neighbours to the blaze but lost his own shed, which he described as a hybrid office and playroom for his two children.
Meadavarapu initially thought someone was having a barbecue, but after seeing a cloud of smoke, he rushed to warn neighbours, who managed to save their bicycles and garden furniture. When he returned to his summer house, he realised 'everything was gone'.
A father's loss of cherished memories
Speaking to BirminghamLive, Meadavarapu said: "My tables, chairs, monitors, laptop, everything burnt in the fire. This used to be where my son played during the summer and had so many things in." He tried to put out the fire with a hose but it was too late, leaving bicycles, lawnmowers and office furniture in the rubble.
He added: "I immediately cried. Not because it was burning - but because the memories were burning." The summer house had been a place where his kids spent many summers playing in the garden, and he said, "I can memorise everything."
Neighbour describes 'movie-like' scene
Imran Khan, another Gorleston Road resident aged 39, was away from home when he got the call and ran to help his family, which includes his mother, partner and children. He said: "I immediately ran down to get the family out. Forget the belongings, what comes first is family."
Khan said he had never witnessed a fire in his life, calling it something he had only seen in movies. He added: "I'm thinking about it on a daily basis and wondering how something like that could happen right outside my house. It's saddening really and something which no one would ever want to happen."
Investigation into suspected arson
The cause of the blaze remains unknown, but it started on fields in Daisy Farm Park, and investigators are looking into the possibility of 'suspected arson'. The fire was one of several severe outbreaks across the West Midlands that day, with others in Stourbridge and Willenhall.
A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: "We continue to work with West Midlands Fire Service colleagues as an investigation into the cause of the fire continues." The investigation is ongoing, and residents are left to rebuild their lives and salvage what remains.
