(Crews from seven fire stations. Photo by Sun Nigeria)
A fire believed to have been ignited by a £6 disposable barbecue has gutted a row of terraced houses in Basildon, Essex, leaving eight families without homes.
Crews from seven fire stations responded to the blaze at Rookyards, with footage revealing the extensive devastation left in its wake.
Residents described the properties as “uninhabitable” after they were briefly allowed to return to retrieve their belongings.
Paryss Reynolds, 25, said her mother Cara had cooked a burger on the disposable barbecue before going indoors to eat, when the fire broke out.
“My mum was at home on her own, she’d cooked a burger on a disposable barbecue which we’ve done dozens of times and she’d gone inside to eat it.
After a minute she heard a massive roar and ran outside and a tree near our fence was completely alight, she ran inside to get a bucket of water to throw on it and when she got back out it had spread to the roof, it was just completely ablaze,” she said.
Paryss noted that because the properties are terraced with connected roofs and no fire breaks, all eight homes were affected.
“It’s just devastating, we have lost everything. I can’t believe my home is gone but it’s not just us, these are all family homes and everybody has been made homeless.
My mum can’t get the sound of sirens out of her ears, she is in so much shock and heartbroken, she feels so guilty for everyone,” she added.
Neighbour Mike Campbell, 37, who lives adjacent to the affected row, said he narrowly escaped damage, describing the moment the bitumen from an old flat roof ignited as frightening.
He expressed sympathy for those affected, noting that all the houses in the area are built to the same design.
Paryss and her family have been placed in a hotel by the council but are seeking alternative accommodation as they are yet to receive a timeline for returning home.
She also disclosed that the family’s cat fled in fright during a visit to the property and could not be retrieved.
A fundraising campaign has been launched for Paryss’ family, alongside similar efforts for other affected residents, including one organised with support from Basildon Council.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service had yet to comment at the time of this report.
