Devastating double house fires on Friday morning meant a family in Garston lost ‘everything’ and were left ‘traumatised’ as two homes went up in flames over the Christmas period as
A family has lost “everything” as two houses on the same street went up in flames with residents woken by ‘loud bangs’ and the sight of large plumes of smoke billowing from the houses over the Christmas period.
The devastating fire has left one family with ‘nothing’ and three people were taken to hospital following the house fires, which occurred on York Street in Garston. At around 2.50am the emergency services were called to the scene, with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service confirming that everyone was accounted for.
However, they added that three people were treated for smoke inhalation and taken to hospital as a precaution. In a bid to get the fires under control as quickly as possible, six fire engines were sent to the scene.
One 54-year-old resident said: “We were woken up to all the sirens and the smell of smoke and we [residents on York Street] all came out to see what was happening and to make sure they were out the house. One [of the houses] is empty but there is a family in the other one.
“Thankfully they got out though, they were asleep apparently on the couch when it started. It’s shocking that it happens in your street, especially when there are kids involved. He is only eight.
“They have got nothing, they have lost everything and that poor little boy. The day after Christmas too, they are traumatized, we heard they had to run through the flames. They have nothing, everything has gone. They are having to stay with family, they have nowhere to go. It’s awful, so close to Christmas. It’s actually a nice street with good neighbours.”
They added: “We just woke up to two fires in the street and everyone was out knocking on doors to get everyone out. We’re just glad nobody was hurt.”
Another resident, who has lived on York Street for over 50 years, told the Liverpool Echo. how he thought someone was breaking into his home when he first heard the loud bangs, shortly before 3am. The 76-year-old-resident said: “I was so shocked, I just looked out the window and saw my neighbours outside.
“I only woke up because I thought someone was trying to break into my house when I heard the noise and I got up and saw it all from my window. I went outside to see what was going on, there were loads of people out and fire engines all down the street.
“There was nobody living in the house that was on fire. In the other house a woman and her kid got taken in an ambulance. One of my neighbours said their bedroom was full of smoke, they said they could have died if they hadn’t woken up when they did, they couldn’t see in the bedroom or the hallway, it was full of smoke and you can still hear they have a chesty cough.
The fires happened near to the Woodcutters Social Club on Chesterston Street in Garston, which caught fire on Bonfire Night, earlier this year. Residents previously told the ECHO how around 200 people gathered for a bonfire behind the Woodcutters Social Club on November 5, before the building went up in flames.
The 76-year-old-resident, of York Street, recalled the incident at the Woodcutters only a couple of months ago and claims the area is getting “worse.” He said: “It was only a few months ago they set fire to the Woodcutters. My son wants me to move out of here and move over to where he lives in Wallasey, but I’ve been here 53 years, I was born here, I don’t want to move, it’s my home.
“Things like this keep happening, I’ve seen it all here over 53 years, all the things that have happened, I’ve been broken into, had slabs through my window. The area had calmed down an awful lot, I’m surprised this has happened. It’s not as bad as some areas but it gets worse..”
A joint investigation between Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and Merseyside Police is underway to establish the cause of both fires. Detective Inspector Neil Dillon said: “Thankfully no one was seriously hurt from the incident as both house fires could have spread to neighbouring properties, causing risk to life and extensive damage. Our enquiries are ongoing with CCTV and witness enquiries being carried out.
“I would also like to appeal to anyone was in the vicinity of Windsor Street at the time to contact Merseyside Police with any relevant information and I ask that anyone with CCTV, doorbell footage or dashcam footage in the area checks their cameras to see if they have anything suspicious.”
Anyone in the area with information, CCTV or dashcam can contact police on 101 or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ with reference 24001082376. You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
