It was just ‘get the kids out of the house’...
A DAD has told how his family – including an 11-week-old baby boy – escaped their home after suspected gas blast inside sparked a devastating fire.
The blaze on Lilac Avenue in Newhey, Rochdale, resulted in severe damage to three adjoining terrace properties. Shaun Koughlan, 31, rents the property at the centre of the fire with his partner Paige Hoyle, 25.
Ms Hoyle and their three children – newborn Hunter, aged just 11 weeks, three-year-old Esme and Faith, aged six – were all taken to hospital for tests but have now been released and are unhurt.
Mr Koughlan told the M.E.N. he was watching television with his partner when they smelled ‘burning plastic.’ He said he opened a cupboard housing the gas mains and it was ‘engulfed’ in flames.
Mr Koughlan said from the scene: “Where do I start? It was about 10.30pm at night. I was sitting in the living room watching the television with the missus. The kids were upstairs in bed. My partner started to smell burning plastic so I went into the kitchen.
“There was light smoke in the air in the kitchen. I opened the cooker to see if it was the cooker that had been left on. It wasn’t the cooker at all.
“I opened the cupboard door and the cupboard was engulfed in flames. It was to the left hand side of the cupboard, where the gas mains are. There was absolutely no way of extinguishing it.
“It was just ‘get the kids – get them out of the house and get them away from it.’
“Within three minutes of crossing the road the flames had erupted straight through the front door, taking out the windowsill and the top bedroom. It was shocking how quickly it escalated.”
Mr Koughlan said his partner and children were taken to hospital for tests for carbon monoxide poisoning but were all fine.
“I got us out and everyone is safe,” he said. “The children are absolutely fine. We were not in there long enough for any of us to suffer any of it.
“We have lost everything. Everything we had was in there. We didn’t take anything.”
An official investigation to determine a cause of the fire has been launched.
Residents reported seeing up to a dozen fire engines, around 10 police vehicles and numerous ambulances on the street. The homes either side of Mr Koughlan’s home were badly damaged.
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing officials and council staff were also at the scene.
Next-door neighbour Carl Lack, who lives alone, ran out of his house clutching his Yorkshire terrier, Lucky.
Carl’s son, Chris, said his dad had only just paid the mortgage off. Chris said: “He just can’t believe it has happened. All his memories have gone – that’s what he is thinking about. But I have told him it’s not about that. It could have been a lot worse. It’s my family home and it’s gone.”