A MALVERN family were ‘lucky’ to escape with their lives after a fire ripped through their home.
That was the opinion of watch commander Nic Browning, who was among the firefighters who tackled the blaze on Elgar Avenue in the early hours of Monday (July 21) morning.
Four fire engines – two from Malvern and two from Worcester – arrived at the scene after receiving a call just before 3.30am and did not leave until 7am.
A father and his two teenage sons managed to evacuate the terraced house before it was engulfed in flames while the occupants from the two neighbouring houses also escaped unhurt.
Mr Browning, from Malvern Fire Station, said the fire was moving into the loft and was starting to spread to other properties when he arrived.
He added it was one of the sons who first noticed there was a fire and then alerted the rest of his household.
“The initial crews worked extremely hard to secure a stable water supply which allowed us to holt the spread of the fire into the neighbouring homes before we put out the initial property,” he said.
“In these situations people are always lucky to escape unhurt – luckily everyone got out early in this case.”
It is believed the fire was started by a battery powered bicycle which was on charge in a timber outhouse attached to the building.
Family friend Dawnie Jones has launched an appeal for donations to help the family replace their destroyed possessions. She said so far people had responded amazingly donating items such as a cooker, washing machine and a sofa.
The family are currently staying with a friend while searching for emergency accommodation.
“It is really heart warming to see how the community has pulled together to help out,” she added.
“They are devastated – they have lost everything they own.”
Mr Browning said people should use this incident as a lesson and be aware of the risks of items which are left permanently connected to a electrical supply.
He added people should also ensure they had a working smoke detector because they gave early warnings which could save lives.
Anyone wanting to donate can call Dawnie Jones on 07708 574244.
