Staying put Mother refuses return to scene of fatal tower block blaze
AWOMAN and her son, whose flat was damaged in a fatal fire at a Bristol tower block, have locked themselves in a hotel room after being told by a council they must return to their old flat.
This is despite doctors recommending they be housed elsewhere following a PTSD diagnosis for both of them.
Selma Muuse – who had to escape the fire at Twinnell House with her young son back in September – says she cannot leave her hotel room at the Travelodge in the city centre because staff will not let her back in.
She said they even refused to let friends bring her food and turned off the electricity and water supply to the room for a time on Saturday.
Bristol City Council has offered her new accommodation but the only suitable home will not be ready until the middle of next month.
Ms Muuse has been told her flat in Twinnell House has been repaired and that she should return there while she waits for her new home in Barton Hill.
However, she says she and her son are too traumatised to return to the scene of the fire – which claimed the life of her neighbour on the top floor, Abdul Jabar Oryakhel.
She is worried that by refusing to return to her old flat the council will say she has made herself ‘intentionally homeless.’
She said: “I cannot believe that I am still dealing with this, that I am still being put under a lot of stress and worry, and that I am still having to plead my case in this state of mind.
“I have shared my experience on the night of the fire and how this has changed my life and my son’s life completely – I am still under psychological care.
“My situation has not changed – I have nowhere to go with my child. I find it insensitive to mention Twinnell House as a temporary accommodation. It is highly triggering, which affects my mood and starts flashbacks of the night we almost lost our lives. I keep being put in the same predicament, which is being forced out of the hotel by police or security.
“I’m willing to move into the flat in Barton Hill even if the repairs are still going on,” she added. “All I’m asking for is to be moved into temporary accommodation or to this flat in Barton Hill.
“What happened in the fire has been very traumatic, but what has happened since with Bristol City Council has been just as traumatic.”
The council said it did not comment on individual housing cases.
Ms Muuse made the decision on Saturday not to leave the hotel room, which led to Travelodge staff turning off the utilities and preventing friends from delivering food to her and her son. This decision has now been reversed.
On October 13, Selma attended a meeting of worried tower block
I find it insensitive to mention Twinnell House as a temporary accommodation. It is highly triggering, which affects my mood and starts flashbacks of the night we almost lost our lives
Selma Muuse
residents in Easton and Barton Hill organised by tenants and the community union ACORN. She gave her account of how she escaped the flames, and said then she was too traumatised to return.
Mayor Marvin Rees and housing chief Cllr Tom Renhard were invited to attend the meeting, but were empty-chaired after declining.
A spokesperson for Travelodge said: “We are sympathetic to Ms Muuse’s situation but we are a hotel business that provides short-term accommodation and we cannot offer Ms Muuse the long-term support that she needs.
“We are sincerely sorry to Ms Muuse and her son for the isolated incident of providing no utility services for an hour on Saturday. This action was undertaken by error and is against our operational policies.
“We are taking the appropriate action with the hotel team to ensure that this type of incident does not occur again.
“Bristol City Council has directly informed us that they will not extend Ms Muuse’s booking, as they have found alternative accommodation to suit Ms Muuse and her son’s needs. Therefore Ms Muuse is now in breach of our terms and conditions as she is a non-paying guest.
“However, as a gesture of goodwill, we have extended Ms Muuse’s booking by a few days and are intervening to support Ms Muuse come to an amicable agreement with Bristol City Council for her long-term accommodation needs.”
Last month the Post reported how Ms Muuse had been moved around five different hotels in the month since the fatal fire.