A young family living in Lisburn have been left homeless and with little belongings after a blaze.
Kim Redmond arrived home from leaving her children to school to find her kitchen on fire. While nobody was injured, their home has been left with significant smoke damage.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Kim said she and her three children, Rachel, 18, Sofia, nine, and Peter, seven, were staying with friends and then in a local hotel. They got keys to emergency accommodation on Tuesday, so that they can spend Christmas together as a family.
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Originally from Wexford but living in Longstone Street in Lisburn for five years, sentimental items and Christmas gifts have been destroyed in the fire, which was believed to have started at Kim's dishwasher.
"I am holding on to something, and that is, every night I would always turn on my washing machine and my dishwasher - Wednesday night was the first night that I can remember, that I didn't turn the dishwasher on," she added.
"On Thursday morning before taking the kids to school, I switched it on. I had a hospital appointment and then came back to the house to find it on fire.
"I think I am still in shock. You don't expect that at all, it is the last thing you think of. The fire itself didn't spread but the smoke damage did. It is throughout the property. The majority of the stuff in the home has been completely destroyed - including things for Christmas.
"We have tried to shelter the kids from it all, as much as we can. It's been a massive shock, and it is coming up to Christmas, and Sofia's birthday on Wednesday.
"They have their own little worries. They want to know if Santa will still know where to come. We are trying to keep things as normal as we possibly can for them. I am just thinking, at least it wasn't during the night, so the kids don't have that trauma of being there.
"Now they did still have to come out of school to no home."
Kim says she has been blown away by the support of family, friends, elected representatives and even strangers who have offered their assistance to the family. Her friend has opened up her business to accept any community donations, and a Go Fund Me page is also live online.
"I was staying with friends for a couple of days and then we stayed in a local hotel for a couple of nights," Kim added.
"Today I got the keys to emergency accommodation so that we have somewhere to stay over Christmas. I have to thank councillor Gary McCleeve, the Sinn Féin councillor in Lisburn and also his colleague Paul Burke. They have been fantastic and have helped with the things that I couldn't get my head around at the beginning.
"My friend Claire Burns has a business, De Luxe Beauty Loft on Longstone Street, and she has set up a collection point and the Go Fund Me page too. My brain has been so frazzled by it all and Claire has kept track of everything for me. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to."
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service told Belfast Live that they were called to the house fire on Thursday November 17 at 10.31am. One fire appliance from Lisburn attended the incident.
They added: "Firefighters were called to a fire in the ground floor of a terraced house. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used two jets to extinguish the fire. The incident was dealt with by 11.59am and the cause of the fire is believed to be accidental ignition."
Please follow this link to donate to the family's fundraising page. Donations can be brought to De Luxe Beauty Loft on 144B Longstone Street.
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