Family home fire plight donations
DONATIONS have been coming in to help a family who escaped from their burning home at 4am on Christmas Day.
The Loughborough family escaped without serious injury, but lost everything they own – including their beloved dogs.
The couple and four children ran for their lives when they realised their home, in Deane Street, was on fire.
The fire reportedly spread from a wood burner in the detached property’s lounge and caught the Christmas tree before spreading to the rest of the house.
The house has been boarded up and the family has been staying with relatives.
A special fund-raising page has been set up and as the Echo went to press the donations had reached £2,812.
There were touching comments left on the online page as folks, touched by the family’s plight, pledged financial help.
One lady said: “I can’t begin to imagine what you all must be going, no amount of money will sadly bring your doggies back or possessions you’ve lost. But hope the money raised can help build a new home for new memories to be made in.”
Another person added: “After enduring such tragedy, the family might like to hear that some people do care, and want to help in a small way.”
An additional fund-raising event has also been organised by Knightthorpe Methodist Church, which is just around the corner from the scene of the tragedy.
This Saturday, January, 4, there will be a coffee morning to raise funds for the family, from 9.45am to 11.45am
A spokesperson for the church told the Echo: “At the present time we are holding donations of £45 but we are hoping to make a great deal more.”
The family’s neighbours, Mike and Sharon Vickery, told Leicestershire Live how they took the stunned family into their home and comforted them as firefighters brought the blaze under control.
Mrs Vickery said: “They’re extremely lucky to be alive, but it looks like they’ve lost everything they had.
“Their possessions were either destroyed by the fire or were smokelogged.
“As far as I know, they all had smoke inhalation and a couple of them some small burns, but fortunately nothing as serious as it might have been.
“That’s the most important thing. Obviously, it could have been a lot worse.
“They have lost their dogs though. The fire service people did first aid on the dogs but they weren’t able to save them.”
The family, who moved into the house this year, are staying at the woman’s mother’s house in Loughborough, Mr Vickery said.
He said: “That’s where they were due to go for Christmas Day anyway. So we know they’re safe where they are.
“We don’t know how long it will be before their home will be habitable again.”
Mr and Mrs Vickery were in bed when they heard a commotion in the street at 4am.
Mrs Vickery said: “We got up when we heard voices outside.
“I looked out and it was like there was a fog around the house and I couldn’t see very far. But then we opened the window and realised it was smoke, because of the smell.
“The family were further up the street and we could hear they were on the phone to the fire service.
“We brought them into our house to get them warm because it was so cold outside.
“They said they’d been asleep when one of them heard a noise downstairs which they thought might be an intruder.
“They opened the door into their lounge and the fire spread from there and they got out.”
As news of the family’s plight spread during the day, a well-wisher set up an online Go Fund Me collection to help them.
Initially, the person who launched the appeal aimed to raise £2,000. However, the amount raised or pledged had exceeded the target.
• Donations can be made at: https:// bit.ly/37k5JaV