A family narrowly escaped a house fire in Bootle in the early hours of Saturday morning (June 20) after the mother mistook the fire alarm for her phone. Laura Brown, 42, was asleep on the top floor of the three-storey home on Ridgewood Way, Bootle, when she heard a sound she said she may easily have ignored if her nine-year-old cousin had not been sleeping downstairs.
Mother's Quick Thinking
Laura said: "We were all asleep in bed. I heard a noise, and I thought it was my phone. But, with having someone else's child downstairs, I was more alert, and I thought I best check." It was then that the mum-of-two realised that a fire alarm was sounding and that her home was on fire. She said: "I screamed, and I grabbed my baby cousin and flew out. My daughter ran back in and opened the dogs' cages. She managed to get both dogs out, but the little one ran back up to my room."
Fire Brigade Response
The fire brigade was called at 1.46am and two fire engines arrived at 1.55am. Houses on either side were evacuated. Four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the property and extinguished the fire. The fire spread from the kitchen; the family was told the blaze started with the refrigerator.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said: "Fire crews were called to a house fire at Ridgewood Way, Bootle in the early hours of Saturday 20th June. Crews were alerted at 1.46am and on scene at 1.55am with two fire engines in attendance. Crews arrived to find a fire on the ground floor of a three storey property, with no people inside. Four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the property and rapidly extinguished the fire. Properties either side were evacuated and firefighters dampened down the area involved in fire before leaving the scene at 3.54am."
Aftermath and Support
Laura's dog died in the blaze, but Laura, her young cousin, and 17-year-old daughter Holly made it out unscathed. The family is now living in a hotel while they wait for alternative accommodation. They are undergoing further investigations for smoke inhalation. The family had no contents insurance and lost many personal items in the blaze. A fundraiser was set up by friend Angela Neill, 40, of Speke, to help them get back on their feet. More than £2,000 has been raised since the fundraiser was launched over the weekend.
Laura, a tutor for SEN schools, said: "I am a strong person, I'm usually the one to help, and it's strange to be on the other side."
