Fire destroys house leaving family homeless

A fire that broke out in a Newton Abbot home has left a family with only the clothes they were wearing.

Samantha Fallon has lived in the property for 27 years but has now been temporarily re-housed in a Chudleigh bed and breakfast with her 3 children.

Samantha was not in the house at the time of the blaze, but her 18 year old daughter Chloe was inside watching the television. On discovering the fire, Chloe fled from the house and alerted the emergency services.

Firefighters from Newton Abbot, Ashburton and Torquay attended the fire at around 3pm on Monday.

The fire which is thought to have started by discarded smoking materials destroyed much of the property and its contents leaving the family with nothing but the clothes they were wearing at the time of the fire.

Samantha said: “Friends and neighbours have been very helpful and really kind and say that if there is anything they can do, they will do it. But we feel so far away from our home at the moment. It’s costing me a fortune in bus fares. I find it difficult to relax because I have so much to sort out. I have nothing — the clothes I am wearing today are the ones I was wearing on the day of the fire. We are not able to take clothes from the house because they were too badly damaged by the toxic fumes and smoke. I did not have contents insurance because I could not afford it.”

The family hope that they will be able to move back into the house and are in talks with the landlord to see if this is going to be possible.

Fire Awareness Training with Extinguishers – Harrogate

It was presented in a clear concise way by a fire trainer who was extremley knowledgable and a good presenter, it was very informative and enjoyable.  It threw up quite alot of content not previously known or perhaps not given much thought to, It made me think about things from a new perspective – Jayne Fulton 

Very informative and interesting – Abigail Brown

The trainer presented very well and answered all our questions – very helpful.  It was very informative practical exercise was very useful – Gill McManus

Relevant gained knowledge to be more aware, it was very relevant and has given me time to get to know new building where exits/entrances smoke/fire alarms are – Margaret Mellor

Simple, helpful, direct!  Bradford still has the power to shock, practical exercise very helpful – Judith Briggs

Good presentation, very informative – Jennifer Lewis

Very informative – Abigail Brown

Training was very informative and relevant for the job, training was good and informative, information was clear and understanding – Antoinette Davis

Fire Awareness Training with Extinguishers – Milton Keynes

Good, clear, relevant – Shemaine Campbell

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Fire Warden Training – Leeds

Very well presented good practical demonstration – Peter Farnell

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Clear and concise, good as always – Richard Katkowski

Fire Warden Training – Glasgow

Very informative course, brought to my attention about home safety aswell as my work practice! – Roseanne Kehoe

What to do if theres a fire at work or home – more aware – Julie Gilmour

Very worthwhile course full of good & informative information – John Wilson

A stark reminder once again of the dangers of fire – Bernadette Bradley

Informative and interactive, good balance to keep everyone focused, very relevant update knowledge & use of extinguishers etc… – Helen McKay

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Very good to the point and makes everyone feel involved, very good course and keep you updated on other duties – Drew Murphy

Person taking the training knowledge was excellent and his manner of presentation was also excellent, very relevant good information passed on – William Trotter