Housemates’ lucky escape as blaze destroys rented home
TWO housemates narrowly escaped being “burned alive” after a fire destroyed their rented home which allegedly had no fire alarms fitted.
Alice Beal, a Cardiff singer and songwriter, was in the garden of the rented property when it went up in flames. She had been celebrating a friend’s birthday with housemate Michaela and all three were completely unaware of the fire spreading through the upstairs as they sipped wine out the back.
The blaze completely destroyed their two bedrooms and everything inside, with damage amounting to almost £20,000, Alice claimed.
It was only when Alice went to investigate a bang which came from inside the house, in Arabella Street in Roath, that she realised the building was alight in the middle of the night on June 3.
She alleged there were no fire alarms fitted in the house, which meant she and her friends had no warning about what was happening – a claim supported by a fire report from the incident seen by the Western Mail
“I hadn’t realised that we didn’t have any alarms,” Alice said, speaking from her family home in France where she fled after ending up with nowhere else to go.
“We were sat in the garden and the house was fully on fire. First of all we heard a bang and I thought someone was breaking in. So I ran inside and there were flames coming down from the stairs.
“Thank goodness we were outside – we came very close to burning alive. Everything was destroyed, including the recording equipment in my room,” said Alice, 29. “We’ve estimated there must be at least £18,000 worth of damage to our possessions.”
Firefighters put out the blaze at the property in less than two hours. The subsequent fire report noted: “Responsible person informed that no smoke alarms were fitted.” It was signed by the fire incident commander and Zulf Ahmed, who was the letting agent for the property at the time.
Alice briefly returned to the house to collect what she could and alleged the letting agency had denied any responsibility, despite the fact there were no fire alarms present.
Alice said the initial tenancy agreement had been arranged through Velvet Chase Lettings but on May 1 this was swapped to Cardiff Properties Management Limited, which is registered to an address in Beatty Avenue, Cardiff.
Cardiff Properties Management was contacted by the Western Mail for comment about the missing fire alarms. A man, who would not give his name, said: “I don’t know what you are talking about, I’m not comfortable talking about this at all.” He then hung up.
In a subsequent email Zulf Ahmed said: “We have a firm policy of not engaging with reporters. Please do not contact us again.”
Alice, who worked at the NosDa backpacker hostel and music venue in the capital, said she was able to spend a few nights at the hostel and with neighbours. She eventually decided to return to the family home in France, where she grew up, after lockdown rules were relaxed.
Alice was born in Wales but her family moved to France when she was a baby. She returned to Cardiff to study and pursue her musical ambitions. The fire has forced her back to the Continent, where she has recorded her debut single from a “shed in the forest” at her parents’ home.
It was released on Friday, and Alice is hoping to build her solo career with the help of her boyfriend Jack Ellis, a fellow musician.
Describing her style as “indie folk rock”, Alice performs as Alcie Bela.
She is staying in France for now until things settle down, but she added: “I’m still technically based in Cardiff but I won’t let the fire stop me releasing my single.”
■ You can find Alice’s single via her Facebook page or at soundcloud.com/alciebela.