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Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 12:24 pm
by Kristen
http://www.alternativeeden.com/2013/07/ ... twist.html

Desperately sorry to read their news and my heart goes out to them for the devastation caused and the loss of so many cherished plants. So hard to replace the years of growth, insurance or not ...

Re: Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 1:13 pm
by jezza
As i have already posted on fb, i had the same fate 4 years ago but as i'd only just started doing my garden no real damage was done, just a few fence panels. I was in their garden last month and got to see it before the fire.

Re: Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 2:15 pm
by Yorkshire Kris
Shared my sympathies on facebook. Can you even insure plants?

Re: Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 2:36 pm
by Blairs
Yorkshire Kris wrote:Shared my sympathies on facebook. Can you even insure plants?
Depends on your insurance but as the fire came from their neighbour it is their insurance company who (I assume) will pick up the replacement cost. At least they have photos of the expensive plants that they had!

Re: Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 2:47 pm
by Steph
I had thoughts about the cost of the plants and compensation.
If the damage came from next door, the neighbour would be liable and hopefully able to claim on the Public Liability bit of household insurance.

Re: Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 3:16 pm
by The Codfather
OMG.......

Re: Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 3:52 pm
by kata
I left a small message.

How aweful for them!!

:(

Re: Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 6:38 pm
by Tom2006
Very sad and something that has for some unknown reason nrver crossed my mind that a fire could hit my garden.

Re: Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 7:38 pm
by Clive60
When I think of all the work they put in over the years..........
let's hope in a couple of years there will be some sort of recovery.

Re: Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:03 pm
by Deedee
Tom2006 wrote:Very sad and something that has for some unknown reason nrver crossed my mind that a fire could hit my garden.
Me Either Tom.. Sad news for Mark and Gaz, they must be devestated,,

Re: Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:44 pm
by billdango
I have always lived in fear of some waster setting fire to my Trachycarpus collection.

They can really burn and if the ones in my front garden caught fire I would probably lose my home as well.

When I was staying in the City of Pau in south west France I noticed that yobs had set fire to dozens of these palms in the parks there.

So everytime I see someone messing about with a lighter near my garden I break out in a sweat of fear.

Thats why I have grown ivy over the trunks of most of them for extra protection.

Still it must have been gutwrenching to lose so many plants as palms take ages to grow and arn't cheap to replace.

Sorry to hear about your garden,

billdango :(

Re: Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 9:10 pm
by GARYnNAT
Like Jezza, i visited Gaz and Mark about 3 weeks ago, Nat sat in the jungle hut for a while chatting with Gaz while mark was showing me a plant in the middle patio (no longer there!!), the saving grace is the new koi pond area escaped as that would have been deverstating, and when i spoke to Gaz last week he told me that the shed next to the koi pond and next in the line of the fire was full of french polishing chemicals it could have been far worse!!

Gary

Re: Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 1:06 am
by miketropic
I know everyone would want to clean up and get a fresh start but I bet if left on its own we would all be very suprised what would regrow on it own..fire is a part of nature and I bet it would recover a little bit...sad to see even so.

Re: Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 7:30 am
by Dave Brown
Something you don't really consider as a gardener, as theft was always my main concern.

I'm so sorry to see that this has happened, :( and must be heartbreaking for Mark and Gaz after all the time and effort spend putting their garden together.

I'm not sure exactly how it works, but also have a fear their neighbour's insurance will not recognise a claim for plants. and could try to make a nominal payment. What M & G have in their favour is all the photographic evidence to show what has been destroyed.

The current drought will probably make this an increased risk, and I have removed the Eucalyptus/Pine needle leaf litter in my front garden to avoid a mini forest fire from a discarded cigarette. We lost our back hedge at my mother's in August 1976, as a footpath ran between an untended grass bank and a farmer's field out the back. The fire brigade had to run hoses through the gardens as they could not get appliances to the fire. It was quite frightening as the flames reached about 25ft, but thankfully it was not windy. The Fire Brigade suspected a discarded cigarette as the cause.

Re: Devastating fire at Mark and Gaz's

Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 8:09 am
by jezza
GARYnNAT wrote:Like Jezza, i visited Gaz and Mark about 3 weeks ago, Nat sat in the jungle hut for a while chatting with Gaz while mark was showing me a plant in the middle patio (no longer there!!), the saving grace is the new koi pond area escaped as that would have been deverstating, and when i spoke to Gaz last week he told me that the shed next to the koi pond and next in the line of the fire was full of french polishing chemicals it could have been far worse!!

Gary
I took my youngest son with me when i visited as he is studying design and architecture and their garden gave him ideas on a project he is doing, so we spent a good hour walking the entire garden.