A SINGLE mother and her two children are living in a Travelodge in Bristol after they “lost everything” to a fire which sparked from a toaster and ravaged their home.
Dionne Barnes, 52, had lived in her two-bedroom flat in Croydon House, Easton, for seven years when the toaster began to produce sparks and “bang” at around 3pm on September 28 after her 16-year-old son Toure attempted to use it.
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The freelance security worker said she received a call from her son to say “the flat is burning down”, prompting her to rush home where she said she could “smell smoke” and “feel the heat” of the blaze from outside her front door.
Thankfully, no-one was injured and the fire was contained to their home on the 10th floor of a 16-storey tower block – but it was too late to retrieve any of their personal belongings as the “flames were too high” and Dionne said the family have “lost everything” to the blaze.
Dionne, her son, and her 10-year-old daughter Mihema-Re – who was with another relative at the time of the fire, have since been living in a Travelodge in Emersons Green and it is thought they will be staying put for at least the next month while they wait for temporary accommodation to become available via Bristol City Council.
A family friend has set up a GoFundMe page to help support them, which has raised nearly £4,000 and left Dionne feeling “overwhelmed” at the generosity of others.
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“I feel emotional, I feel very displaced and out of sorts,” Dionne told PA Real Life.
“I’m not me, I’m usually quite jolly and the life and soul of the party, but I feel melancholy.”
On September 28, Dionne said her son Toure was making some toast at around 3pm that afternoon.
“The way he described it to me was that he went to make some toast but as soon as he turned it on, the toaster started to spark,” Dionne said.
“He switched it off straight away and left the room before he said he later heard a bang.
“He said he came out of his bedroom to go into the kitchen and as he got to the door, he saw flames and ran.”
Dionne said she received a panicked call from her son to say “the flat is burning down”, prompting the mother to rush to the scene from the Trinity Centre, a community hub in the area.
“I had a phone call and my son said ‘the flat is burning down’,” Dionne said.
“Luckily, my cousin was there at the same time but he was just down at the shop so he got there a couple of seconds before me.
“I got there and I could smell smoke and feel the heat.
“My cousin said I couldn’t go in as the flames were too high.”
Avon Fire and Rescue Service was called to the scene, with Dionne saying they “came quite soon” and were “really, really good”.
Thankfully, no-one was injured and Dionne said the fire was contained to their flat on the 10th floor of a 16-storey tower block.
“My initial reaction was relief – I thought ‘oh my god, my son is okay’ and then I was like ‘oh my god, everything’s gone’,” Dionne said.
“It was just the fear, even though I know I’ve lost everything, but to what degree had I lost everything.
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“We have managed to save photographs and documents but everything has gone practically.”
She added: “My kitchen door actually wasn’t a fire door.
“I’m hoping to find out why there wasn’t one on my kitchen.”
Dionne said the family were helped by a “fantastic” representative from Bristol City Council who was able to support them in sourcing emergency accommodation.
She said they moved around to three different hotels in the area for a handful of nights before they were placed in a Travelodge in Emersons Green at no cost to the family.
“I’m a very homely person – it’s only me and my children who live in Bristol, most of our family are not here – so for our chosen family, I’m kind of like the base,” she said.
I’m not used to needing help, I’m the one who is supposed to give help so now I’m the one needing it, it’s really weird
Dionne Barnes
“It just doesn’t feel right to be in such limbo.
“I’m not used to needing help, I’m the one who is supposed to give help so now I’m the one needing it, it’s really weird.”
Returning back to their former home has been emotional, Dionne said, and her daughter is unable to go into the property.
“It’s awful and I just burst into tears, it’s devastating to see,” she said.
“I’ve been back almost every day since the fire just to collect bits and pieces but I find it difficult to be in there – I just find it oppressing and a very sad place to be.
“My daughter was crying her eyes out and she’s scared to go in.
“I think my son is a bit traumatised, he’s trying to pretend he’s okay, but it’s affected him quite a lot especially as he is the one who was there.”
Dionne has been informed the family will be residing at the hotel until at least November 14, but she is waiting for more information on the next steps.
“The situation with temporary accommodation is dire, there is nothing really available at the moment,” she said.
Dionne also said the location is proving tricky in terms of getting her children to and from school – where it is now taking an hour for the family to complete a journey that used to take 12 minutes.
“We’ve managed to get new school uniforms but it’s difficult to get them washed,” Dionne added.
I feel absolutely overwhelmed and I can’t believe the generosity of people
Dionne Barnes
“Friends have offered me their kitchen so I can cook, and fortunately I’m a good cook so I can feed other people at the same time, but it’s hard.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up by a friend of the family to help support them through the coming months, raising nearly £4,000 as of October 15.
“I feel absolutely overwhelmed and I can’t believe the generosity of people,” Dionne said.
“It just means that when we finally get somewhere, I can organise my children’s rooms and my children’s lives without having to worry.”
A spokesperson for Avon Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were called at 3:14pm on September 28 to reports of a fire in a high-rise residential building on Croydon Street in Easton, Bristol.
“Crews from Temple Fire Station were first on the scene and found a fire in the kitchen of a flat.
“Four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the flat and extinguished the fire.
“Thankfully no one was injured during the fire.
“The cause of the fire is thought to be accidental.”
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PA Real Life has contacted Bristol City Council for comment.
To find out more, visit the fundraiser for the family at: gofundme.com/f/help-for-dionne-and.
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