A FARMING family has spoken of the devastating fire which hit their bungalow.

The blaze claimed the lives of two pet dogs and destroyed most of the contents of the family home.

The property at West Prince Farm, Sevenstones, near Callington, is home to Sharon Daw and her husband, county councillor Jim Flashman.

The couple, together with their two children, daughter Xavia, 13, and son Austin, 12, are now living in a caravan for the next three months until their ruined bungalow has been made habitable again. Sharon, 47, a member of East Cornwall Harriers, and a veteran of more than 70 marathons, had all her medals and trophies destroyed by the fire, which the family believe was possibly started by an electrical fault.

Sharon said: 'I was entered in the Taunton Marathon which was the day after the fire but all my running gear was also burnt.

'It has been a stressful and emotional time for me and the family, especially the loss of our two dogs, as we are very animal-orientated and are heartbroken. We are missing them very much.

'Getting back into my stride with the running is helping a lot, as it is easing the stress and giving me something else to focus on. We have all been down but we are beginning to turn the corner.'

Sharon said from the outside the bungalow looks fine but the inside is gutted with most of the contents lost to fire and smoke damage.

She said: 'We had all been indoors watching the Grand National on April 6, after which we went out at about 5pm to look for a cow which was calving.

'Unfortunately, we found her at the bottom of a field having given birth to a dead calf.

'We then started the milking and, at about 6.30pm, a passer-by shouted to us that our house was on fire.'

Austin, who was in his bedroom when the fire started, escaped through a window.

'If he had opened his bedroom door he would have died, there is no doubt about that,' said Jim, 'we are thankful he made the right decision.'

'He is the luckiest of children,' said Sharon.

The family are grateful for all the help they have received and for offers of

accommodation.

'Because we milk, and we are in the middle of calving, we need to be on the farm, close to our animals,' said Sharon.