A family of four from Leeds have been left living out of their car after a devastating fire destroyed their home.
Over the weekend, a fierce blaze swept through their house in the Roundhay area, leaving them with nothing. Mum-of-two Anna Dunkova had been visiting her mother nearby on Sunday, March 17 when she received a distressing phone call from her 17 year old daughter, who was home alone at their flat on Grange Park Terrace.
Anna explained how her daughter, busy on a call herself, initially dismissed the smell of smoke as a neighbour's barbecue as it was a sunny day. But their dog started acting strangely and wouldn't leave her alone. It was then that she realised their house was on fire. Panic setting in, she hurried to a neighbour's house to raise the alarm.
READ MORE: The one thing Amazon shoppers must do to get the biggest discounts in retailer's huge spring sale
Racing back home, Anna, her partner and their 16 year old son found their home in flames - all their possessions gone, reports Leeds Live. Luckily, both her daughter and their family dog made it outside safely. Now homeless, the family are trying to pick up the pieces and rebuild what they "worked so hard for".
Woman in 20s dies in NY Day house fire horror as blaze tears through building
A shaken Anna, 33, said: "Thankfully, our daughter, who was home alone with our dog Rocky, managed to escape outside where she was assisted by a neighbour, and together they called for help. At that time, my partner, our son and I were visiting my mother, while our daughter chose to stay home and watch television. Unfortunately, we lost all our possessions, money, valuables, documents, clothing, and everything else in the flames.
"We are trying to reach out to the relevant authorities, such as the Leeds City Council, for assistance, but unfortunately, we have not received any support yet. We need food, but the food bank only provides us with ingredients for cooking, and we have nowhere to prepare it.
"We are now homeless, we are hopeless, we have lost all of our belongings, we have nowhere to sleep. There are four of us so it isn't that easy. My mum is disabled so we can't stay with her, my brother doesn't have the space. We are living out of a car and we are having to stay in a hotel at our own expense, I don't have any money. We have lost everything. I have one t-shirt to my name, the same with my partner and kids - everything is gone."
The family have lost everything in the devastating blaze (No credit)Anna continued: "I woke up today and hoped it was a dream but no it's really happening. My daughter has autism. She is still in shock, she's still stressed, this should not be happening. My children can't be stressed like this - it's so unfair.
"I need to find a new house and start all over again. The kids need to go back to school but we have nowhere to stay so how can they do that? We feel helpless. We are having to beg people for new t-shirts and new underwear. I don't know how we are going to survive and what we are going to do."
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Fire Service said: "We were called at 15:41 on 17/3 to Grange Park Terrace in the Roundhay area of Leeds to reports of a house fire. This was a fire involving 100 percent of a bedroom in a semi-detached property, and some fire also spread to the ground floor.
"Two crews from Killingbeck and one from Moortown used hose reels, 6 breathing apparatus, and positive pressure ventilation to extinguish the blaze. Our Fire Investigation Officers determined the cause to be an accidental electrical ignition."
Anna has since set up a Go Fund Me as the family desperately try to get back on their feet. She said in the appeal: "We would be grateful for any form of help you can provide us so that we can take care of ourselves. Thank you to everyone willing to support us in this difficult situation."
You can visit the fundraiser for Anna and her family, here.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
