Fire tears through family home on Christmas Day destroying everything

Fire tears through family home on Christmas Day destroying everything

A family had to flee their home after fire ripped through it on Christmas Day. Sherieanne Wood said she and her two sons Evan, 13, and Blake, six, had just settled down after a "perfect Christmas Day" when disaster struck.

Sherianne, 41, said they were lucky to get out alive when their flat in Caerwent, Monmouthshire was engulfed by flames on December 25.

The single mum had just settled down to watch television with Blake while her older son Evan had a bath when the fire alarm went off.

Rushing out, she saw Evan's room in flames. The three fled the flat as neighbours called emergency services.

South Wales Fire and Rescue said two fire engines went to the scene at Ashtree Road, Caerwent, at 9pm on Christmas Day and extinguished the flames.

The fire service could not confirm the cause of the fire but Sherianne said she believed it had been caused by an electrical fault on the battery charging box she'd bought with an electric car for Evan for Christmas.

"My son had a remote control car for Christmas which I bought for £400 and then £140 for the battery pack charger. The battery exploded in the charger," she said.

Science MA student Sherianne said the shop she bought the car from had soldered new wires into the battery charging pack when she bought it. She believes it is that which caused the blaze.

"We had a wonderful Christmas and just settled down to watch Call the Midwife when the fire started. Me and Blake were watching TV and Evan was in the bath.

"The fire alarm went off and by the time we went the room was engulfed in flames."

Sherianne fought back tears as she said she only realised later what a near miss they had had.

Although they have lost everything, and have no contents insurance, she said she is grateful they are alive and unharmed and that no one else in the block was injured or affected. She had only just redecorated the flat.

"I ran back in to get our two French bulldogs Bluey and Violet. We all ran out just in time. We are in shock. We were black with soot.

"Luckily it is a ground floor flat. Every single one of our Christmas presents is gone and nothing is salvageable. The neighbours rang the fire brigade who were there within minutes and were just incredible.

"None of the other flats were affected but they had to be evacuated. People in four flats were evacuated including an 85 year-old in one of them. I was in shock and was being sick."

Sherianne, who rents the flat from the local authority, has no contents insurance but said she is just grateful they are all alive.

She and her sons stayed the night with a friend in Cardiff and are then going to stay temporarily in a hotel.

She said her sons were also in shock and all three had had trouble sleeping since fleeing the blaze.

A friend of Sherianne's has set up a Gofundme appeal to help the family here