A mother has been left ‘devastated’ after her husky went missing during a fire which spread through nine homes in Calcot.

Her 10-year-old daughter has been crying ‘day and night’ since husky Sky was dog-sat in a house damaged by the blaze in Red Cottage Drive on July 28.

Owner Daniela Radu, from Tilehurst, said her daughter does not know whether Sky is alive or dead.

“I am devastated. I’ve got cancer and I’ve just been through operations, chemotherapy, I was getting a bit better – you see I have looked after Sky since she was very little,” said Mrs Radu, 45.

“She was a gift for my daughter from Santa, obviously my daughter was very attached to the dog and she’s crying day and night.

Reading Chronicle:

“Not knowing what happened is just hurting more.”

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Mrs Radu, her husband and their daughter left Sky with a dog-sitter on July 20.

Firefighters were called to Red Cottage drive eight days later at 11.47pm, the estate was evacuated and Calcot Infants School was turned into a triage centre.

The families of nine properties are still unable to return home while assessments are carried out, meaning it is unclear whether Sky was remained in one of the buildings after the fire started.

When Mrs Radu and her family returned from holiday on August 6, they arrived at the sitter’s house to find it charred by flames.

“From that day the nightmare started,” said Mrs Radu.

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She said Sky, who was microchipped, was a member of the family and is appealing to the public for information about the whereabouts of Sky.

Crews were on the scene for approximately five hours and 36 minutes, before handing the incident to police for investigation.

A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of arson and released under investigation.

Police arrested a woman from Reading on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. She was bailed until August 31, 2022.

Anyone with information about Sky can contact bradley.young@newsquest.co.uk