The family’s beloved dog died in the blaze.
A family of three who were left homeless after a fire ripped through their 25-year-old home claimed they have lost “absolutely everything” but are grateful “we have our lives”.
Fortunately, Bernadette, 43, and her two children, Tyrone, 20, and Lashana, 16, were not inside when the fire broke out.
However, their beloved dog Tuffy, a friend to Lashana, was tragically killed in the fire.
According to the Fire Brigade, the incident was caused by an e-scooter battery that caught fire while still charging. It took eight fire engines and about 60 firefighters to extinguish the fire.
Bernadette stated that she and her daughter have been living with a family friend and are in contact with the Council to secure temporary housing.
“We are fine; we’ve seen better days. “We’ve lost everything, but we still have our lives,” she told The Standard.
My kid is terribly distraught since she has lost her dog and partner. We are doing our best to get back to normal. My daughter has returned to college today. “We are not 100 per cent sure on what happened, but the house went up like a match.”
Bernadette stated that they had lost numerous valuables and emotional objects, including watches, rings, school certificates, and teddies.
But one of her most pressing concerns was for her daughter, who had lost her bedroom and personal space right before her GCSEs.
“Lashana is doing GCSE art and design in college, so all her sketches were in the room and it doesn’t look anything like a room anymore,” she told me. “She finds it difficult to remain at other people’s houses. She asked me ‘when are we going’ this morning, but I told her I’d.
“Everything she’s lost keeps coming back to her—her trainers, her driver’s license, her ID—but I keep reassuring her that she still has her life.
“I want to make her feel a bit more comfortable.” A friend has started a GoFundMe campaign for the family, with nearly £1,100 received so far.
Bernadette described the encounter as “dramatic and very upsetting.” Bringing my dog out and attempting to resuscitate her stuck in my mind. “It was a very traumatic event.
She was a rescue dog, and she was extremely scared, so I was just picturing what that must have been like for her.
Only 16 hours after Bernadette’s house burned down, a battery pack on a second-hand converted e-bike caught fire at a residence.
Six fire engines and over 40 firefighters were called to the area, but by the time they arrived, the fire had already spread throughout the majority of the property.
The Fire Brigade warned the public on Wednesday about the dangers of e-bikes and e-scooters. Fire officials say e-bikes and e-scooters are becoming one of the capital’s fastest-growing fire hazards, with 171 incidents registered last year — one every other day on average.
Bernadette stated, “Myself and my daughter had an e-scooter. I only purchased it three months ago. It is not old, so if that is the case, I was sold a bad product.
“It is essentially a bomb. It’s insane to offer these things for £40 and then have people go home and plug them in. “In the shops, they don’t provide much information. They only tell you to wear a helmet and stay safe; they don’t tell you how to charge them.”
Bernadette believes that e-scooters should not be charged inside the home and has stated that she will never purchase another one.
“I purchased the e-scooter for our mental health, but I would not have brought it into my home if I had known.
“I will never get another one, it has traumatised me.” Mike, Bernadette’s stepfather, stated that the fire had “massively effected the family”.
“They have lost everything. They are simply utterly rattled up. Bernadette is holding up extremely nicely.
“The dog had been with them for eight years, ever since Lashana was young,” she said.
“It’s just complete devastation.”
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