A family has lost everything after a battery explosion turned their home into a blazing inferno.
Doris and Stephen Currie and their grandson Leon fear they have lost their home and all their possessions after an electric scooter battery exploded setting the building ablaze. The three occupants and the family dog were trapped in the house as the bedroom doors and the hallway floor were engulfed in flames.
The three, who were all settling down for the night, were forced to run through the fire with no shoes on to escape. The three are now in hospital suffering smoke inhalation and severe burns to their feet and hands.
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Emergency services were called to Limekiln Row in Runcorn in the early hours of Sunday morning to reports of a house fire. Five fire engines from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and a number of vehicles from North West Ambulance Service rushed to the mid-terraced property where they found the three occupants outside.
Neighbours had earlier rushed to the aid of Doris, Stephen and Leon after they were initially trapped inside the blazing house, with reports of one family friend kicking open the front door to allow them to escape.
Sharon Currie, daughter of Doris and Stephen and mum to Leon, told the ECHO she was "terrified" and "couldn't think" when she received a call saying her parents' home was on fire. The 46-year-old who also lives in Runcorn said: "I got a call telling me there had been a fire and my parents and son were in a really bad way.
"I just couldn't think - my neighbour drove me to the house but the roads were blocked off by police. When we managed to get through I've never seen so many flashing lights - there were police, fire and ambulances just everywhere."
Doris and Stephen, both in their 60s, and Leon were rushed to hospital after the fire where they still remain now. Sharon told the ECHO the family could be there for another week while they recover from exposure to the smoke and their burns.
Leon, 26, needs surgery to repair the skin on his hands after he touched a metal door handle during their escape. Mum Sharon said Leon went back to get his grandparents from their bedroom after he heard his "petrified" nan screaming.
She added the family are being kept apart and are only allowed one visitor at a time because of the risk of infection to their burns. After initial fears for the family's 10-year-old dog Roxy they've been given the good news the dog is in a stable condition and is being kept at the vets.
But the family have nothing but the clothes they escaped in after the fire and smoke damage left all their possessions unsalvageable. Sharon said in parts of the house the floor has caved in following the blaze. The family are now waiting to be rehomed.
She told the ECHO : "My parents are absolutely devastated - especially my poor mum who is just in shock. They're saying they've got nothing left now as they didn't have home insurance.
"They were in that house for 33 years and were part of the community all that time. So many of their memories were made there.
"They're just lucky they managed to get out - the damage to Leon's bedroom and the hallway it's a miracle they all managed to get out alive."
A spokesperson for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "An investigation into the fire has been carried out jointly by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and Cheshire Police. The cause is believed to be accidental ignition."
A fundraiser was made to help support Doris, Stephen and Leon after they lost all their possessions in the fire. You can donate to the fundraiser here.
