Fire terror mum’s campaign delight (From York Press)

Fire terror mum’s campaign delight

7:52am Wednesday 24th October 2012 in News By Richard Catton, richard.catton@thepress.co.uk

A MOTHER from York whose family narrowly escaped death following a fire in their home has thanked friends and neighbours for organising a Facebook donation campaign.

Andrea North, 25, her partner John and two daughters Jasmine, three, and Scarlett, six, are currently living in a hostel after the fire at their council home in Jute Road, Acomb, earlier this month which caused smoke damage throughout the whole property.

She said the fire broke out spontaneously in a tumble-drier, which was not in use at the time, while the family were still in bed.

She said: “I just woke up at about quarter past eight and my bedroom was filling with smoke.

“The kids were sort of half asleep in their bedroom.

“If it had happened in the small hours we could have died. The whole house was smoke-damaged, but the main areas of damage were the kitchen and the outhouse. Other mums have been great. They have donated gifts to keep the girls happy because they haven’t been able to get to their toys.”

The donations were all organised through Facebook and according to one supporter there have been more than 300 donations to keep the family’s spirits up.

She said that, so far, City of York Council had been unable to say when their home would be ready to move back in to.

Steve Waddington, the council’s assistant director of housing and community safety, said: “We are sorry to hear of this incident and are pleased that no one was hurt. We are liaising closely with the family while they are living in temporary accommodation and have carried out a thorough inspection of the property, including all electric and gas checks.

“We are now in the process of carrying out repairs and have also offered to clean the property so they’re able to move back into their home as soon as possible.

“However, we can’t stress enough the importance of testing fire alarms and replacing old batteries, which is the responsibility of tenants. We advise all tenants to follow national fire and safety advice and check your smoke alarm every week. Push the button, not your luck.”