Doorbell footage has shown the moment a tumble dryer exploded in a Scots home as firefighters tried to control a blaze thought to have been sparked by the machine. Two firefighters can be seen entering the house in Livingston, West Lothian, as an alarm blares in the background.
One can be heard in the video radioing for hose rail to be brought into the property. He then leaves the house to help his colleague get the hose over a fence.
As the pair quickly pull the hose towards the home, a loud bang can be heard and the emergency workers jump back as they feel the impact of the tumble dryer exploding, narrowly escaping the full extent of the blast. The footage then shows the aftermath of the explosion as flames can be seen from the corner of the screen and smoke begins to pour out of the door.
It is understood the family who lived in the property have now lost all of their belongings due to the fire and are living in a hotel room. A fundraising page shared online claims have been told by their insurance company to pay for the hotel upfront and claim the expenses later, but this has led to the desperate family maxing out their credit cards.
The couple's six-year-old daughter is said to have no clothes or toys left to play with, while their beloved pet dog has also been separated from them due to a policy at the accommodation and has been placed in boarding care.
A close friend raising money for the family to try and aid their current expenses shared the footage of the blaze in a bid to encourage people to offer the couple and their child help.
A post on the GoFundMe page said: "Hi all, we need your help. A friend has lost his home and all belongings in a house explosion. This was the tumble dryer.
"Him, his wife & 6 year old daughter are now living in a (not too great) hotel that they have to pay for up front, the insurance company said they will be paid out for (later?). Problem is, they have to find the money for it first. Maxed out on credit cards and to me the saddest thing is, their darling dog is in boarding kennels because there are no dog friendly hotels in the area.
"Their little girl needs to go to school as normal to try and keep some order in her life. Clothes, toys - everything - has had to be bought just to keep going. He has tried to get a local house to temporarily rent so they can all be together but that hasn’t been possible."
"Please help. Give what you can. I know we are all struggling just now but we still have a roof over our heads and we are together."
Donations to the fundraising page can be made by clicking here.
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