A family left homeless after a huge fire in East Craigs say their faith in humanity has been restored after support from strangers.
Anett Sandow, 32, her chef partner Attila Halasz, 38, and their son Aron Halasz, who turns one on Saturday, have been staying in a local hotel since the blaze ravaged a block of flats at Craigievar House on Wednesday June 14.
Anett says from the moment she and her son were left stranded on the street, local people have shown her immense ‘humanity.’
The Amazon quality checker says she left the flat with her boy for a walk after he was unable to sleep last Wednesday afternoon. When they looked back at their home they noticed the building was emitting smoke.
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Stuck in the scorching heat, a stranger offered the mother and son shelter in her home as well as food, water and money. Despite her devastation at losing everything, the caring mother has said that she has had her faith restored in the kindness of people.
“Me and my son were just about to take a small walk around our building because he just didn't want to sleep, it might have been because he was too hot or he sensed something,” she said.
“We reached the corner of the building when we saw people looking up but there was only a small amount of smoke. Around five minutes later there was a huge fire blazing from the top floor.
“I was stuck out in the burning sun from 3pm with a crying baby. I could not believe the level of support I received from the community after the fire broke out.
“A random lady from the opposite building offered us shelter from the heat when she saw me with my son. She was very kind, we had never met before but despite this she offered us shelter, water and asked if we needed anything or if my son was hungry.
“She even asked if we needed any money. She left us alone in her home without doubts and offered for us to stay overnight if there were no other options.
“I was speechless, I couldn't believe it. Nowadays it is rare to see really kind people, there is not a lot of trust in society and everyone cares for themselves.
“When my partner finished work he picked us up to go shopping as we didn't know how long we would have to wait to go back to the flat. After a couple of hours our part of the building wasn't burning anymore.
“We asked for temporary accommodation and before midnight we finally received a phone call to say that we have a place to sleep in the Travelodge Hotel at Edinburgh Park with breakfast included.
“We were told that we could stay until Wednesday and thankfully we have been given a room at the Delta hotel until more stable temporary accommodation can be provided. You can imagine how difficult it has been having my young son.
“He was so exhausted and was crying a lot due to being scared and in an unknown place. The first two days he was just scratching my chest and couldn't really be without me.
“It was heartbreaking as he was not sleeping well and I could not explain to him what had happened. Each day we recognised some of our neighbours in the hotel which was devastating, most of them were families with young kids.
“It is funny that with our busy lives we did not really chat to one another but now this tragedy has brought us closer together. A lot of us have said that we have had problems sleeping since the fire.”
Anett says that the fire has had a profound impact on her mental health. Due to the severity of the fire the family had to leave all of their belongings in their flat.
This meant that they became reliant on donations from random strangers. The response from the Edinburgh community blew both Anett and Attila away.
“I constantly check the news every night. I joined a local Facebook group to try to keep up to date and that is when I saw that a donation point had been set up.
“There were people already organising for donations of essentials for people like my family who had been displaced. They were also raising money to try to help us.
“I began crying when I saw this generosity. It was at this moment that I realised the devastation was a bigger problem than I had originally thought.
“I’ve just tried to be a good parent and to try to work so that we can provide for ourselves. My family is too far away and even then we cannot travel to them because all of our documents, wallets and clothes have been left in our home.
“My boy did not have any toys either and so I decided to try and go to the community donation centre to distract him. I won’t lie, it was not a great feeling as you try to work hard to make sure that your child has everything they need but we had no option other than to accept the donations.
“When I stepped into the donation centre I had to fight back my tears. There was so much more than I expected with new clothes, toys and shoes.
“I saw my son smile and for the first time he left my side to wander around. He was so happy, babbling, screaming and playing, I was just so relieved.
“Nothing can compare to that feeling. Of course it is hard for everyone but we have to be strong for my child, I keep wondering what if I cannot get back up on my feet.
“Our children are so dependent on us and things like this can have such a massive impact on their lives. They are just innocent.
“I tried to go back to the building to see if we could pick up our personal items but the place was secured by police. I bumped into some of my neighbours there and we all just tried to give each other positive support.
“It really made me feel as though I was not alone. There is so much kindness that has been offered to us and it has meant that I am no longer scared of what tomorrow will bring.
“We will all get through this together helping one another. We all lost a lot but the support I have received has made me reevaluate life.
“I did not think there was this level of kindness left in the world. I will raise my son believing in altruism and the goodness of humanity after this experience.”
