A shaken mother of three young children has recalled the dramatic moment a fire broke out at her home.
The blaze broke out in the early hours on Worthing Road in Lowestoft on August 25, leaving Stacie Wright and her three young children, aged four months, three, and four years, shaken but unharmed.
They were alerted by a neighbour who banged on their door at around 2.15 am to warn them of a fire in their garden.
"He saved our lives"
Stacie Wright, 30, said: "He saved our lives.
"He was frantically banging on the door and ringing the doorbell.
"He said ‘I think your house is on fire; you need to get out'.
"As soon as I ran upstairs, I could see the orange through the windows."
Her partner Jack was met by flames at the back door.
She said: "I got the baby out of the cot and the kids out of bed.
"I went down the street banging on doors to get people out because it was a big fire."
The family did not have home insurance and now faces extensive repair costs, including re-rendering the back of the house, replacing windows, repairing the garden and clearing smoke damage inside.
Ms Wright added: "I count my lucky stars that the kids are safe, but had that man not knocked on our door, we would be dead.
"He could’ve seen the fire and kept safe himself.
"I’m so grateful."
A targeted attack
Ms Wright said the fire, which caused significant damage to the rear of the house and garden, has been confirmed as arson following a police investigation.
She said: "Forensics believe an accelerant was used but don’t know what.
"They spoke to a fire specialist and he thinks something had been thrown into our garden."
The blaze spread to a neighbouring property but was contained by brick walls.
She said: "Our wooden fence, decking, and a summer house the kids' dad built for them all caught fire."
Support from strangers
Despite the trauma, the family has been touched by the kindness of neighbours and strangers.
Ms Wright said: "I'm so thankful.
"A woman across the road has been tumble drying for me because I lost the washing line.
"A neighbour turned up with a bag of sweets for the kids."
To make a donation visit www.gofundme.com/f/recovering-from-arson
Share