The Crossgill Fire (1988)

In December 1987, Matt Skilbeck (Frederick Pyne) discovered that he had been left Crossgill Cottage by Mr Metcalfe (Bernard Kay) an old friend of his. His wife, Dolly Skilbeck (Jean Rogers), wanted to move in straight away, but Matt was happy with his life in Emmerdale Farm. Phil Pearce (Peter Alexander), had decided to renovate the cottage in early 1988; however, one day, he carelessly left some rags, which caught fire. Annie Sugden (Sheila Mercier), who had been inspecting the cottage on Matt and Dolly's behalf, was trapped in the inferno. Luckily, Dolly and Phil had been on the way to the cottage that afternoon and witnessed one of the windows explode and heard Annie's cries for help. Phil dashed into the burning cottage and rescued Annie just in time. She survived with mild smoke inhalation. The burning of the cottage, however, put an end to Dolly's dreams of a home of her own.