Michelle Holmes, 44, had just taken her two boys, eight-year-old Jayden and seven-year-old Joe, up to bed when her house in Warrington was rocked by an explosion in the kitchen
A mum and her two young sons have been left homeless after an explosion and fire at their home during half-term, say family.
Michelle Holmes, 44, had just taken her two boys, eight-year-old Jayden and seven-year-old Joe, up to bed when her house was rocked by an explosion in the kitchen on October 25.
Michelle’s sister-in-law, Chloe Taylor, spoke about the devastation caused to the family home in Warrington, Cheshire, by the explosion and subsequent fire, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Chloe said: “It was absolutely horrendous. Luckily the kids were on half-term and they’d been messing about downstairs so they’d gone up to bed.
“When they were all upstairs, the chest freezer in the kitchen exploded.”
Chloe said Michelle ran downstairs to find the kitchen was already ablaze. She took her two children and got out of the house as quickly as she could then rang the fire brigade.
Chloe said: “She rang us in an absolute state so we rushed around over there.”
The fire service arrived and put out the flames but the blaze had left the home unliveable.
Chloe said the force of the blast from the freezer shattered windows, while the resulting fire caused considerable damage to the remainder of the house.
Michelle supplied photos showing the aftermath. The kitchen has been completely gutted by fire and smoke while the other walls in the house have been left scorched and damaged.
The blaze also destroyed many of the family’s possessions including their clothes.
Chloe said: “The damage has been so bad they can’t go back in the house. The council have put them up in a hotel, it’s not exactly the best. They’re all in the one room which isn’t ideal.
“She’s stressed, she doesn’t know what to do. At first we just had to scramble around to get them some things.
“Then over the weekend we had to get them stuff because they didn’t have any shoes, coats, clothes, anything for school.
“It’s hard for them because Michelle is trying to get everything together and get them in school and everything else in the meantime.”
Chloe has set up a crowdfunding page to try and raise some money for Michelle and her two kids.
Chloe’s message on the fundraiser, which has a target goal of £2,000, reads: “[My] sister in law has had a horrendous house fire this week and has lost all she owns for her and her two young boys.
“She’s currently in temporary accommodation and will have to rebuild everything from scratch on a low income wage.
“We’re only asking just to help out. All the support we can get would mean the world to Michelle and her two young boys.”
