Joanne Lewis was at home with her daughter Zoe when a gas canister burst in the chest freezer.
A Kilmarnock mum says she has “lost everything” following a devastating fire at her home.
Joanne Lewis, 34, was at her three-bed maisonette on Kerr Road in Kilmarnock with her daughter Zoe, 12, when a gas canister burst in a chest freezer.
Joanne saw the orange flame in her first floor flat and instantly knew it was a gas fire and said it reminded her of when “teenagers used deodorant and a lighter”.
The blaze started on Monday, June 17 at 1.57am, while Joanne and Zoe were watching TV shows in the living room, where the freezer was located.
Joanne said: “My daughter has autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) so some nights she doesn’t sleep.
“She gets melatonin for her sleep but it doesn’t always help. That night she was having quite a rough night so we were sitting in the living room, watching some TV programmes.
“Zoe was sitting next to the freezer, and she heard the popping noise, she jumped up and said: ‘Mum, what’s that?’ And then we heard the rumbling noise. The flames were ferocious instantly, which is why I knew it was gas-related.
“I said to Zoe that we needed to get out. We left barefoot and didn’t take anything apart from a phone. Before the smoke and heat hit the fire alarm, we were on our way out and on the phone to the fire brigade.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 1.58am on Monday, June 17, to reports of a dwelling fire on Kerr Road, Kilmarnock.
“Operations Control mobilised two fire appliances and specialist resources to the scene, and firefighters extinguished a fire affecting the first-floor flat.
“There were no reported casualties, and crews left the scene at 4.01am after ensuring the area was made safe.”
At the time, there were also pets in the house and sadly Joanne and Zoe couldn’t save them as they had to flee the property immediately.
Joanne said: “Three of our cats and a mouse died in the fire. As all doors were open, apart from the kitchen door, the fire spread quickly. After the bang, the cats got scared so they all ran away so unfortunately we weren’t able to get them.
“The living room fire alarm melted off completely and the hall one had melted too but there were still parts of plastic on the ceiling, they were like plastic icicles. Also, due to the heat, two windows cracked and one smashed.
“The kitchen is the only room that was ok due to the door being shut.
“I just feel numb. It’s been such a whirlwind. We have lost some of our pets, lost our home and lost things that were precious to us.”
Joanne and Zoe are now staying with Joanne’s parents, sleeping in bunk beds until something comes up from the council.
Leave a Reply