A family whose house was “completely ravaged” by fire over the weekend have told of the moment they tried to save their beloved dog.
The Driver family were on a shopping trip to Tesco on Saturday and came back to discover their home, which is on the site of a private school, “engulfed in flames”.
Father George Driver, 35, who works as a site manager for Claremont School, opened the door and shouted for their three-year-old labradoodle Jackson but got no response.
Firefighters arrived at the scene, near Hastings, soon after and found Jackson unresponsive in “his favourite sleeping spot in the living room”.
They tried to resuscitate him for 25 minutes, administering CPR and oxygen, but to no avail.
Speaking of the tragedy, George said: “It’s been an absolutely horrific time for us and we are devastated to have lost Jackson who meant so much to us, especially to the children.
“Breaking the news to them was extremely difficult, he was such a lovely bouncy ball of fun and full of joy.
“The firefighters were fantastic and what they did to try and save Jackson was nothing short of heroic.”
George and his wife Zoe, 33, thanked people for their donations in a fundraiser set up by a friend to support their family.
They have sons Thomas aged 11, Alfie aged seven, and Reggie aged two.
So far the fundraiser has garnered more than £13,600 of its initial £5,000 goal.
From left, Thomas, 11, Reggie, two, Alfie, seven (Image: Driver family)
George added: “The amount of support and kindness we have received from our friends, family, and complete strangers has blown us away.
“We can’t say a big enough thank you to everyone for their donations and help. The support from the local community has been amazing.
“The Go Fund Me money raised and kind messages we have received are so deeply appreciated and unexpected.
“We would also like to thank everyone at Claremont School for their support.
Firefighters at the scene on Saturday (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)
“The house has been completely ravaged by the fire inside, there’s not much we can salvage unfortunately.
“It’s been extremely overwhelming for us all. We are just so grateful we are safe, and hope we can now focus on rebuilding our lives.”
The house was the old gatehouse of the school.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
Witnesses driving on the A21, which runs past the school, noticed “lots of smoke” and said traffic was at a standstill.
One said they decided to turn around away from Hastings as “the smoke was getting thicker”.
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service was called just before 12.30pm on Saturday and sent six fire engines.
A Sussex Police spokesman said at the time: “The A21 was closed in both directions and remains so at this time.
“Enquiries are ongoing alongside the fire service to identify a potential cause of the fire.”
For more information, visit the family’s fundraiser here.
