A mum has told of the terrifying moment a blaze swept through her home, as her baby slept upstairs.
Mica Driver said the ceiling began to fall through as she and her son fought to get her one-year-old out of the property, as thick black smoke billowed through. She and her family have been forced to leave their home in Middleton due to the extensive damage it has caused, but thankfully no-one was harmed.
Mica, 34, and her children are living in a hotel while repair work is undergone. The cause of the blaze remains unclear. A fundraising page has been set up to help the family rebuild following the devastating incident.
The fire broke out just after 1.30am at the property on Tennyson Road in Boarshaw. Fire crews spent about two-and-a-half hours battling the blaze. Mica told how the smoke alarm began ringing before a ‘big gust of black thick smoke came rushing down the stairs’.
She said there is extensive smoke damage, windows have been smashed and there is water damage from firefighters tackling the blaze. “It’s just stuff, we nearly didn’t get the baby out,” she added. “The baby was asleep upstairs. By the time we got to the bottom of the stairs, the ceiling was falling through. I froze, my son got the baby out.
“It’s my whole life, my son was born there last year. It’s not great. We have got to start from scratch.
“It started in my son’s bedroom, that’s all we know at the minute. I’ve not spoken to the fire brigade or anything. They wanted us to get checked out because of the baby, we left and the fire brigade were dealing with it. The boys’ bedroom is back to brick. My daughter’s bedroom is black.”
Mica has been given alternative accommodation following the fire, but says she has not been able to speak to the authorities due to the bank holiday. She said she spoke with a surveyor who could not give a timeframe as to when the property would be fixed.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “At around 1.45am on Friday 23 August, fire crews were called to reports of a fire at a home on Tennyson Road, Middleton. Three fire engines from Rochdale, Chadderton and Heywood stations were quickly mobilised to the incident, which involved a rear bedroom in a terraced house.
“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used two hose reels to extinguish the fire and made the area safe. Two people were taken to hospital for precautionary checks by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS). GMFRS crews were in attendance for about two and a half hours.”
The fundraising page can be viewed here.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “At around 1.45am on Friday 23 August, fire crews were called to reports of a fire at a home on Tennyson Road, Middleton. Three fire engines from Rochdale, Chadderton and Heywood stations were quickly mobilised to the incident, which involved a rear bedroom in a terraced house.
“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used two hose reels to extinguish the fire and made the area safe. Two people were taken to hospital for precautionary checks by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS). GMFRS crews were in attendance for about two and a half hours.”
The fundraising page can be viewed here.
Leave a Reply