A woman said she and her child are lucky to be alive after petrol was allegedly poured through their letterbox and set alight. Mum Tori Sheehan said she was on a video call with her friend when the incident happened at her council flat on Greenhill Place, Gelligaer.
The 26-year-old picked her son out of his bed and had to carry him past the flames by the front door to safety. She said they were "very lucky" to escape with only minor injuries.
She said: "At around 2.25am I was standing in my top floor flat kitchen on FaceTime to my friend. All of a sudden I just heard a loud 'oomph' noise. My five-year-old son was sleeping in bed so I had to grab him and run down the stairs and past the flames. We were very lucky to get out without any serious injuries, I just had singed hair and eyelashes. It was just by chance that I was awake and in the kitchen. If I was in the bathroom or living room I wouldn't have heard the noise of the fire starting."
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The incident happened in the early hours of April 30. Tori said her fire alarm went off but there is no fire exit at her flat. She said: "I just thought I need to get out of here now [via the internal stairs] because there's no other way out. The door was on fire and the flames were up at least two of the bottom steps.
"It's diabolical. As a mum I've got awful visions going through my head of what could have happened. I'm imagining different scenarios even though we're out of it fine - I still can't help but think about it. My family could be organising a funeral right now. It's been awful, I keep getting flashbacks and having mood swings."
Tori said she has been without a suitable front door since January 1 when it was damaged and left without a letterbox. She said Caerphilly council promised it would be fixed or replaced within eight weeks, however nearly five months on she said this has not been completed.
She said: "I didn't have a suitable front door. They said my door would be fixed within eight weeks, but five months later I still don't have a letterbox. You can put your hand straight through the gap where the letterbox should be. If you're outside and I have the light on you would be able to see the shape of the letterbox from the light. I've been on the phone to Citizens Advice because this really shouldn't have happened."
Since the incident, Tori and her son have moved in with a family member. She said she has not been able to gain access into her flat, which was badly damaged by the fire.
She said: "I've checked the house by going up on a ladder. My son's room isn't too bad and my room has a layer of soot on it. The living room windows are cracked and everything is gone and the kitchen. I'd just bought new furniture and I have to start again now. It was my son's birthday a couple of days before this happened so he is missing his toys."
A spokesman for South Wales Police said the fire is believed to have started deliberately. Officers are looking to speak to two people who were in Greenhill Place at the time of the fire.
The spokesman said: "We attended a report of a house fire in Greenhill Place, Gelligaer, at around 2.30am on Sunday 30 April. The cause of the fire is believed to be deliberate following a joint investigation by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, whose firefighters attended as well, and Gwent Police. Paramedics from the Welsh Ambulance Service attended also and treated two people – a 26-year-old woman and a five-year-old boy – for minor injuries. The boy later attended hospital as a precaution.
"Investigating officers would like to speak to two people who were seen in Greenhill Place at the time of the fire. They then reportedly left the area on foot in the direction of Hamman Place before they allegedly got into a dark coloured car and are believed to have headed in the direction of Bargoed.
"Enquires are ongoing and anyone with information, including CCTV or dashcam footage, can call 101 or send us a direct message quoting log reference 2300138393. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 with details."
Caerphilly council has been approached for comment.
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