Community rallies to help family after house fire

A COMMUNITY has rallied around a family of five who lost everything in a devastating house fire.

Parents Lee Price and Kirsty Thomas left their house in Dowlais to go and pick up their four-year-old daughter Mia Thomas from school on July 12.

Just minutes later their council house and all of their possessions were completely destroyed by fire.

An appeal to raise £2,000 for the family and collect donations of clothes, homeware and essential items has been shared hundreds of times and has seen dozens of generous responses.

Kirsty, 21, from Merthyr Tydfil, said: “We left the house at 2.50pm and by 3.04pm the house was up in flames. The first I heard of it was when I was walking down to my mums and my friend came running down and said the house is on fire and there’s loads of fire and police outside.

“I was devastated. It was our home. We had a fiveday-old baby at this point too.”

Since the fire friends and family have rallied around to collect clothes and essentials as the family prepares to move into a new property provided by Merthyr Tydfil council today.

Kirsty said the family are very appreciative of the help – although acknowledged some sentimental items can never be replaced.

“My oldest girl had a blanket that she had since she was a baby but it’s gone,” she said.

“She just wants to go home. She’s old enough to understand what’s going on now.”

The fire is being treated as accidental and nobody was hurt.

Friend Paigee Jones, 22, from Aberdare, said: “They were going on the school run when it happened.

“On their way to the school they saw one magpie and Kirsty said something bad is going to happen.”

Paigee, a full-time carer, added: “We have had more than we were expecting. Kirsty and Lee are doing really well considering everything that’s happened.

“I think it’s mainly having to get on with it for the kids and those sort of things.”

Paigee said larger household items such as a bed are now needed.

Monetary donations can be made at www.gofundme. com/6kxska-helping-afamily-in-need

Donations of clothes and household goods can be made by contacting Paigee through the GoFundMe page.