Blaze ‘has left people with nothing at all’
WEST London residents are in desperate need of help after a fire across multiple homes in Hounslow has seen them with “nothing left at all”.
On Sunday June 14, six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were called to a fire at a maisonette on Norman Crescent.
The brigade was called at 5.57pm and the fire was under control by 7.13pm.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and this is not the end of the story for the residents who live or lived there.
Christina Hare, 28, was in her house with her mum and three children in Norman Crescent on the evening of the fire.
Her neighbour was going out, so her neighbour’s 13-year-old son asked to stay at Christina’s while he was out of the house.
Christina left the children with her mum while she went to get ingredients to cook them dinner, but when she came back she could hear a fire alarm.
She said: “I climbed up my block and went upstairs to 102, because they have faulty alarms so I thought it might have been them.
“I couldn’t smell anything and he wasn’t at home.
“So I came downstairs, went into my back garden and I saw the window had gone all black and smoky.
“So I went (to her neighbour’s child) ‘Your house is on fire!’ and we all ran outside.
“And then we saw the kitchen window go in and then my neighbour’s child rang his dad and said, ‘Dad our house is on fire! Our house is on fire!’
“By this time, my neighbour had just got to Uxbridge.”
Christina’s mum and other neighbours called the fire brigade.
Christina said: “My friend’s son managed to open the window and we saw the flames were directing towards the living room.
“He kicked in the door and we were shouting for the dog, ‘Rocko! Rocko!”
The dog came out and was “absolutely fine, no damage whatsoever.
“By that time we’re all screaming to the whole block, ‘Please! Get out! Get out!” said Christina
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus rescued one man from the maisonette on the ground floor of the building using a fire escape hood, which provided him with protection from four of the main fire gases that come from a fire.
Three adults and a child were rescued from the maisonette on the second floor of the building, while one man was treated on the scene by London Ambulance Service crews.
The mum-of-three said: “A woman called Laura took in 20 children from this block and fed them all and looked after them until 10pm, until it was safe for some of us to be able to go home.”
A split-level maisonette on the ground and first floors of the building was destroyed by fire.
Half of the second floor of another split-level maisonette and part of the third floor were also damaged.
Christina said seven houses have been affected overall, and that for some “there’s nothing left at all”.
Many residents have been evacuated and put into temporary accommodation, including the neighbour she spoke about.
Christina said: “All his tools were inside the house, so his livelihood’s gone.
“His son doesn’t even have shoes on his feet.
“My poor neighbour, he’s come back and he can’t even get onto the estate – it’s so blocked, his house.”
“He doesn’t deserve this, he is the loveliest man you could possible think of.”
Even for those living in flats that were not completely destroyed, the effects have still been severe.
The mum-of-three said: “My floorboards have all been split apart, my walls are cracked, my whole house needs to be revamped.
“They’re waiting for another review – I could be getting moved into temporary accommodation.
“The back garden has been banded off, my front garden has been banded off. “I have to stay in my house.” One woman has missed hospital appointments after being re-homed in north-west London.
“She can’t access her home because it’s too damaged,” Christina said. “She’s got nothing.” Days later and people are still going to Norman Crescent to see the effects of the fire. Christina said: “It’s scary. “People are coming and looking.” Whether it is a whole room or an entire home, the message it clear – “people have lost a lot”.
The relative of a family member who lost their home has started a fundraiser in a bid to help the families affected by the fire.
Posting on the GoFundMe page, the relative said: “I am asking for donations so these families can have a chance to start over again. Luckily no one was hurt.
“One of these families is my cousin and nephew. They happened to be out at the time of the fire and all they have left, are the clothes on their backs, phone, wallet and keys.
“I’d like to thank their kind neighbour who managed to save their dog.
“Dig deep if you can, every little helps and please share.”