A Petersfield trader has launched an fundraising page to help victims of the devastating fire which ripped through a Lavant Street block on Thursday.

Linda Kirkbride of Handmade Studios felt she had to do something for affected traders and residents after watching the horror unfold.

So she decided to start the Businesses & Residents in Petersfield page on GoFundMe – with more nearly £2,400 being donated within the first 20 hours of its Friday launch.

She said: “It saw it probably not long after it started, and on the retail association there were people asking what the smoke was about.

“I wondered what I could do as I thought people will need accommodation and so much more. They might not be able to think at first because they’re in shock.

“The only thing I could do was set up a GoFundMe page.”

Within a few hours of the blaze, which destroyed the upper floors of four properties along Lavant Street, people were reporting that one resident had lost everything.

Lavant Street Fire Aftermath PIC11
This picture gives an idea of the extent of the damage caused to the top floor and roof. (Tindle/Paul Ferguson)

Alma Hodgkins, who lives above House of Boo, one of three street level businesses affected by the fire, told the Post on Friday she “didn’t know what to do” after being forced to leave after the fire broke out around 6pm.

Funds from the GoFundMe page are intended for her and fellow traders who now face an uncertain future.

The page was advertised by Petersfield town mayor, Cllr Chris Paige, on Friday, as he has received multiple offers of help since the blaze on Thursday evening.

Linda added: “At the moment my aim is to provide assistance and money for anything they need.

“If she (Alma) needs accommodation she will probably need to fund it out of her pocket. There’s probably only going to be so much cash so let’s try and help these people out.

“A lot of the people on Lavant Street also don’t have WiFi at the moment so they’ll be struggling to make things work so I imagine they’ll be worried about that as well.”

There is an initial £10,000 target while Linda has promised to keep people updated about where the money goes to. There is also a collection box in her shop on The Square for people who would like to make a cash donation.

To make a donation look for Businesses Residents in Petersfield Fire on www.gofundme.com or follow the link here: https://shorturl.at/dCptX