A mother and her children managed to escape a devastating house fire in Church Village, Rhondda Cynon Taf, with mere seconds to spare. Louise Nash, a 39-year-old single parent, recounted the harrowing experience of losing almost all their possessions when flames tore through their two-bedroom home in the early hours of Friday.
Louise was asleep at her residence on Manor Court around 12.15 am when a neighbour urgently pounded on her front door, alerting them to the danger. The neighbour shouted, “Get out, there’s smoke at the back,” prompting Louise to investigate. Upon opening the curtains in her kitchen, she was met with a horrifying sight of massive flames in the back garden. Despite not smelling any smoke inside the house initially, Louise swiftly woke her children, Ollie (8) and Ariana (6), and evacuated them from the property.
Within moments of their escape, a loud explosion rang out from the house as windows shattered, and the flames rapidly spread. Reflecting on the intense moment, Louise described the sound akin to a potential house explosion, expressing her gratitude for her neighbour’s intervention and swift action. Firefighters arrived approximately 20 minutes later and managed to extinguish the blaze at 3.38 am, according to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
Despite the ordeal, Louise remained thankful for her children’s composure during the crisis. The cause of the fire is suspected to be accidental, possibly stemming from an electrical fault in the freezer situated under a flight of stairs at the rear of the house. Having resided in the rented property since 2015, Louise, temporarily staying with her mother in Tonyrefail, mentioned feeling too traumatised to inspect the damage firsthand.
Concerned friends informed Louise about the extensive destruction, highlighting severe structural and smoke damage throughout the house. Recounting the loss of cherished possessions and the absence of contents insurance, Louise expressed her reluctance to return due to the nightmares the incident induced, exacerbating her existing mental health struggles. Despite the challenges, she remained hopeful for urgent rehousing in Church Village to support her family’s well-being.
In the midst of uncertainty and extensive material loss, Louise expressed gratitude for any assistance through a fundraiser to help alleviate immediate financial burdens. As she navigated the aftermath of the fire, her focus shifted towards safeguarding her children’s emotional well-being and envisaging a hopeful future beyond the traumatic event. The community’s support and her children’s resilience served as beacons of strength as they navigated this challenging chapter.