Kelly Harrison Duncuft-Cotteril looked around at the charred remains of what used to be her kitchen. Black soot covered every inch of the room, the acrid smell of smoke still thick in the air.
Her family had only lived in the property for six months. Kelly had just finished redecorating when her youngest son accidentally knocked over a candle, the house becoming engulfed in flames within minutes.
Thankfully, Kelly and her family escaped the Audenshaw property unharmed. But there was nothing left to salvage – and the family didn’t have home insurance.
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“There’s nothing left,” Kelly, 38, told the Manchester Evening News. “Even the plaster on the walls has melted off. It's literally just brick.”
Kelly had been at home with her husband Michael and four children MJ, six, Evan, eight, Theo, 13 and Katie-Li, 18 when the blaze started at around 4pm on Friday, January 13.
MJ had been playing in Katie-Li's bedroom when he accidentally knocked over a lit candle. When Kelly heard the commotion, she entered the bedroom and discovered a small fire.
Panicked, Kelly attempted to extinguish it by throwing water over the flames – but her efforts only seemed to make the fire spread further.
“I put water over it and the fire went all in my face,” she continued. “It shocked me and then I was choking. By the time I lifted my head back up, I couldn’t see a thing.
“I was so shocked when I saw the fire. I was spinning in the kitchen thinking, ‘What can I pick up and use [to put it out]?
“I found a little jug and started to throw water on it and it wasn’t going out. It was so black. Within five minutes, the house was gone.”
Kelly managed to get her family out of the home before running to a neighbour for help. The neighbour called emergency services while Kelly watched helplessly as her home became consumed by an orange glow.
“My first thought was, ‘I’m going to lose everything’, she continued. “I screamed. I feared for our lives.
“I feel sick to my stomach to be honest, but I’m so glad that we all got out. We can replace things, but we can’t replace the family.”
Kelly and her family found themselves homeless following the fire. They moved into a friend’s house before eventually being relocated to a local hotel. Kelly says the council have since found her a new property in Droylsden and she is set to move in soon.
“It’s eating at every last bit of money we’ve got left,” Kelly continued. “The council found us a property; it’s a bit away but it’s better than staying here.
“Now we need to rebuild our lives again. I’d not been there long so I’ve literally bought everything new. I had the whole house re-decorated. We’ve literally got to start fresh again.
“It was three of the kids birthdays in December so they’ve lost all their presents. One of my sons isn’t talking at all, he’s lost the PS5 I got him at Christmas. He’s lost most of his things. It’s affected my daughter really badly, too.
“My youngest son had a blanket he loves. I found it [among the debris], but it had lots of holes in it. I thought, ‘I can’t take that back to him’. He doesn’t understand what he’s done, to be honest.
“I just want to say a big thank you to the neighbours, friends and family who have helped us.”
A Gofundme appeal has since been set up to help Kelly and her family replace some of their belongings lost in the fire. To donate, follow the link by clicking here.
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