Cheryl Ballie and her twins Aria and Josh had just arrived back at their home in Newtyle, Angus, after picking up a Chinese takeaway for tea when they saw the horror unfold
A heartbroken mother said she is haunted by the screams of her children after they returned home to find everything they owned consumed by raging fire.
Cheryl Ballie, from Newtyle, Angus, and her seven-year-old twins Aria and Josh were met with billows of smoke when they opened their front door after collecting a Chinese takeaway.
The 36-year-old, in sheer panic, clutched her children and sprinted to safety across the street, only to witness the extensive blaze demolishing their house and Christmas gifts within. Cheryl, holding back tears, recounted: “It happened about 7pm yesterday, my kids were at their mum’s so I went to pick them up. We went out to pick up a Chinese takeaway for tea and came back to our house in flames. I opened up the front door and thick smoke poured out.
“I looked upstairs and there was a bright orange light and flames were engulfing the top floors of our house then everyone started to scream.
“I grabbed the kids and we ran across the road to a grassy area. I was terrified for our lives, I thought the whole house would explode because I could hear bangs and popping.
“I can still hear it in my head, that and the kids were just screaming what are we going to do. I didn’t have any answers for them at that moment in time. I had to just get them away from it as much as I could,” reports the Daily Record.
Cheryl and her family are now taking refuge at her parents’ house in the village after losing everything in a devastating fire. Cheryl said: “We literally just have what we are standing in. We have lost all of our clothes, Christmas presents and belongings. It’s the sentimental things we can’t replace but thank god we have our lives. If we had been in I dread to think what could have happened.”
She added: “I haven’t slept yet due to the shock. I stayed at a friends house down the street because I wanted to see the fire get put out. The fire brigade were at the house all night.
“I don’t know if I have any words for how we are all feeling we are completely devastated. We went to see our house today and I can’t believe everything we had is gone.”
In an effort to help, local pub landlady Jen Cameron started a fundraiser to support the family through this tough time. Cheryl expressed her gratitude, saying she wouldn’t be able to cope without the support she’s received.
“You can imagine how it feels to look up and see your home burnt out with a charred hole right through where your kids’ bedrooms used to be. As far as I know the house isn’t going to be salvageable so we have a long process ahead.”
Despite the tragedy, Cheryl says her children are showing remarkable resilience, “The kids are coping amazingly, my little girl has been staying with a friend but doesn’t want to see the house. My wee boy Josh was looking up into the house today asking what happened to his bedroom which tore me apart.
“The whole village can’t do enough, they completely surpassed any of my expectations. The only thing holding me together is the support from our family and the village around me,” Cheryl added. After setting up the fundraiser, Jen Cameron said: “This family’s left with just the clothes they had on. Luckily no one was hurt and everyone was safe. With it only being a few weeks till Christmas we are asking if anyone can donate anything you can to help get them back on their feet.
“No doubt they will need rehoused and need to start over again. As a community we can’t see these kids go without over Christmas. Standing watching someone lose everything they own was heartbreaking- please help us make things a little bit easier for them!” You can donate to the fundraiser here.
