East Preston mum-of-three thanks fire service after terrifying house fire

Rebecca Mcnamara was at home with her partner, Chris, and three children in Mill Pond Way last Thursday (January 28) when she heard screaming from outside.

She went into the back garden to see smoke pouring from her son’s bedroom and her neighbours shouting over the fence: “Fire, fire, get out.”

Rebecca, 44, said she rushed inside to get everybody out, including her partner and son who both had Covid-19, and call 999.

“It was frightening, I had a bit of a meltdown on the phone to the fire brigade,” she said.

“My daughter was upset, my sons were upset. But I’ve woken up with a fresh head and need to get on top of things now.

“It could have been a lot worse and the main thing is we’re all safe, the animals are all safe – everything else is replaceable.”

Her 16-year-old son’s bedroom was ‘completely gutted’ by the fire, with only his Xbox and fish surviving.

But Rebecca said without the quick work of the fire service, who arrived in force with three engines, it could have been a tragic story.

“Without them we could have lost everything, it could have been so much worse,” said Rebecca, who did not have contents insurance.

“So we just wanted to say thank you.”

She said the firefighters had been particularly impressive in handling her contagious son, who was isolated in the car with their two dogs, two cats and two rabbits.

Chris, who was on his final day of isolation after being bedbound for ten days, was given a mask.

Rebecca also thanked her neighbours for their support, not least Paul and Sandra Edge who raised the alarm.

She said people in her neighbourhood has offered beds, TVs, clothes and even given her son a laptop so he could continue with his studies.

“Everyone’s so supportive in this neighbourhood,” said Rebecca.

While the walls and ceilings of their house have been blackened by the smoke, the housing association has not been able to send professional cleaners as Rebecca and her family are still self-isolating.

She said they have done their best to clean what they can, but are still surrounded by reminders of the traumatic experience.

The fire was thought to have started from an extension lead, Rebecca said, and she warned other homeowners to regularly check their plugs and not to overburden sockets.