Flat blaze victim still desperate for 'justice' a year on
Man was left homeless after stray firework wreaked havoc
A DEVASTATED man who was left homeless and saw £20,000 worth of belongings burnt to a crisp after an errant firework nosedived through his bedroom window in a freak incident has still not received compensation or an apology nearly a year on.
As reported Ejiroghene (Edge) Igbigbi saw his life turned upside down after losing laptops, phones, a smart television iPad and clothes along with sentimental items of his African heritage following the blast at the shared flat on Hester Road, Milton, on New Year’s Eve 2020.
The 50-year-old returned home from work around 9pm to the ‘horror’ discovery that his bedroom on the first floor flat was alight after a firework was let off from a nearby place.
Two of the ‘shaken’ tenants managed to escape the blaze after curtains in the rear bedroom caught fire as firefighters battled the inferno for over two hours.
Flames could be seen burning Edge’s bedroom to smithereens before a sudden blast saw the window drop onto the garden below. Only a fire door stopped the blaze spreading to the rest of the apartment and prevented the street being ‘bombed out’.
Edge was left homeless for nearly three weeks and ‘would have been on the street’ but for a kind neighbour who offered to put him up. But the care worker’s horror was compounded after he found out the landlord’s insurance on the flat did not cover him.
He has since been battling to get compensation from where the firework came from but says he has so far been ignored after two solicitor letters. Nearly a year on, Edge said: ‘If there’s any justice in the world someone will help.
‘Almost one year on and no-one has come round to apologise. I’ve sent two lawyer’s letters but they’ve not replied. I’ve been very patient, I just want justice. I lost everything.
‘I went to work and came home to find my room had been burnt down. I was homeless for two and a half weeks and if it wasn’t for a kind neighbour I would have been on the street.’
Edge said he was offered ‘no help’ by Portsmouth City Council after the blaze and was told to go to Citizens Advice by his Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan.
‘I just want someone to step in and help,’ he said. ‘The system is failing. I’ve lost £20,000 worth of things including my African heritage through no fault of my own.'
A spokesman for the city council said: ‘If a person is made homeless as a result of a fire, the council has a duty to accommodate them if they have nowhere to stay, as long as they are eligible for assistance.
‘Many people choose instead to stay with friends or family, but the fire brigade would usually call us if the person is left without somewhere to go. If the fire happens outside of office hours, our out-of-hours service will provide initial temporary accommodation, and the person concerned will be advised to contact the Housing Needs and Advice Service (HNAS) for further assistance.
‘The level and longevity of the help we provide beyond that initial temporary accommodation would depend on the individual circumstances of any given case.
‘Our out-of-hours service and HNAS have checked and cannot find any records of Mr Igbigbi making contact with them. However, we would urge him to get in touch if he is still experiencing housing issues.’
I’ve been very patient, I just want justice. I lost everything.
Ejiroghene Igbigbi