KIDS SAVED FROM BURNING HOUSE
A MOTHER and three children escaped a burning building on Thursday after their house caught fire on Forcett St, Sorell.
Their father, Nick Lowe, who is a postman, was doing deliveries when he got a panic-stricken call from his wife, Aquilla.
“I was at work, my wife called me distraught saying our house was on fire so I rushed here and as I was coming down Arthur St, I could see the smoke,” Mr Lowe said.
“The whole house is wood so the moment a fire did start, it didn’t take long.”
Neighbour Jen Woolley said she was shocked to hear the sound of screams coming from the burning house.
“I thought it was our shed that was on fire at first. I heard screaming, ‘help, help’, but we couldn’t see anything because of all the smoke,” Mrs Woolley said.
Peter Thompson, who is the grandfather of the children, said he was incredibly relieved that everyone had made it out safely.
Mr Thompson said they believe the source of the fire was a cardboard box that had been left on the stovetop.
“What happened was a box was on the oven on top of the hotplate and we think one of the kids turned the oven on,” Mr Thompson said.
“It hit the curtain, we think. They were in the middle of packing stuff into the shed, and they were putting it all on the stove and one of the kids come along, I reckon, and turned one of the hotplates on.”
Fire investigator Tim McKay warned that small children should always be supervised while in the kitchen. “This is an example of how momentary inattention can have serious consequences,” he said.
“Unfortunately in this instance there were cardboard boxes sitting on top of the stove at the time, which have caught alight very quickly.
“Many house fires start in the kitchen, and this serves as a reminder that flammable materials should always be stored away from the stove.”
Dodges Ferry Brigade second officer Oliver Torenius said the fire spread rapidly, but firefighters prevented it spreading to other houses.
“On arrival, the structure was fully involved [on fire]; it’s a Western red cedar-clad building,” Mr Torenius said.
Nobody was harmed in the fire but the roof of the house collapsed and the family car was totally burnt.
The total damage is about $600,000.
The family says it has been inundated with support from the community, who have offered to give clothes, furniture and a place to stay while everyone gets back on their feet.
I HEARD SCREAMING, ‘HELP, HELP’, BUT WE COULDN’T SEE ANYTHING BECAUSE OF ALL THE SMOKE NEIGHBOUR JEN WOOLLEY