A Newtownabbey mother and her five-year-old daughter have been "left homeless" after their home was destroyed in a house fire.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, single mum Nicole says that she was awoken by her smoke alarm after a fire started in the utility room of her house in the Longlands area.
She said that thankfully her five-year-old daughter Cora was not in the house at the time and she quickly rescued her dog and made it out of the property safely until firefighters arrived.
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Sadly though, the blaze has destroyed a large portion of their home due to fire, smoke and water damage, and the pair are now having to live with family until they are able to get new accommodation.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Nicole said that she has received a lot of support from her friends, family and local community following the fire, with people dropping off donations of toys for her daughter and other items to help her get back on her feet.
She said: "I was awoken at around 3am on Sunday by my fire alarm and found that my house was full of smoke and there was a large blaze in my utility room.
"I am not 100% sure what has happened but I think that it is the result of an electrical fault, although none of the appliances were in use at the time.
"Thankfully my daughter was not at home with me at the time and I was able to gather my dog and get out of the property safely.
"However, the fire has caused a lot of damage to my home, with the utility room being completely destroyed and the rest of the house suffering a lot of smoke and water damage.
"We have been left with practically nothing.
"I am very grateful though for all of the support we have received from people who have been dropping off toys and things for Cora and different things to help us get back on our feet and we are so thankful for everything everyone has done."
Nicole's friend Aine McKenna has launched a GoFundme page in order to raise funds to help the mum and daughter which has raised over £1,350 so far.
If you would like to donate to the appeal to help Nicole and her daughter please follow this link.
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