A brave father and his five children who died in an horrific fire have been pictured for the first time as their heartbroken family prepare for their funerals tomorrow.
David Cuthbertson, 68, will be buried with his children Just Raine, 11, Reef Raine, 10, Misty Raine, nine, Patch Raine, six and Gypsy Grey Raine, four.
The family was asleep at 1am when the blaze broke out at their remote farmhouse in Mid Wales last October.
Architect Mr Cuthbertson managed to get three of his children to safety before going back into the flames to reach the others.
They raised the alarm with neighbours but by the time the fire service arrived it was too late.
David Cuthbertson, 68, will be buried with his children Just Raine, 11, Reef Raine, 10, Misty Raine, nine, Patch Raine, six and Gypsy Grey Raine, four
The family was asleep at 1am when the blaze broke out at their remote farmhouse in Mid Wales last October
The town of Llangammarch Wells will come to a standstill for the funeral of the ‘kind and caring’ father and his five children.
The three surviving children Leaf, 13, Blue, 12, and Farr, 11, will be at the church service along with their devastated mother Sima Khan, 44, who was not living at the farmhouse at the time.
Vicar Petra Beresford-Webb said: ‘It has been an horrendous time – the town has never known anything like it.
‘We are grouping together and praying it all goes well. All I can do is comfort people at this time of loss.
‘I’ve been in close contact with the family for some time, we are all holding each other up.
‘So many people here have been affected but this is a small community and we have pulled together like small communities do.’
The gutted Pointyn farmhouse was structurally unsafe and special equipment had to be brought in to search for and retrieve the bodies
The town’s St Cadmarch Church will be packed and the service will be broadcast to mourners outside in the graveyard.
A local who knew the family said: ‘The town will stand still as we say our goodbyes – there will be a lot of tears.
‘Everyone here knew someone who died, especially the school friends of the little children.
‘We will all be thinking of the mum and the children who got out alive.’
Police have spent more than £560,000 investigating the cause of the fire which is still a mystery.
The gutted Pointyn farmhouse was structurally unsafe and special equipment had to be brought in to search for and retrieve the bodies.
They were identified through DNA, except for little Gypsy who was identified through dental records.
The dates of birth and family details of each child were given to police by heartbroken Mrs Khan.
Police said that although the children had different surnames to their parents they were all from the same family unit.
Heritage architect Mr Cuthbertson had fathered more than 18 children with four different women in the Mid Wales town.
Locals said he was a ‘perfect dad’ who wanted his children to grow up in the countryside with a love of nature and the outdoors.
An inquest was opened and adjourned last month to allow the funerals to go ahead.