A woman whose flat was destroyed by a devastating fire has revealed the moment she woke to find her home engulfed in flames.
Paige Hope lost everything she ever owned when she left a chip pan unattended in the early hours of July 20. The 29-year-old had not long taken medication which led to her accidentally falling asleep.
To her horror, she woke up choking to find her home full of thick black smoke. Paige tried to jump from her window with her dog Molly but the frame was too hot to touch. Moments later, an explosion flew her forward and she landed on the ground outside – breaking her leg in the process.
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Quick-thinking neighbours dialled 999 and fire crews rushed to the scene on Maple Crescent in Leigh. Miraculously, Yorkshire Terrier Molly survived the horrific ordeal.
“I went through domestic violence a few years ago and the medication sends me to sleep,” Paige told the Manchester Evening News. “I don’t know how I survived; I realised the flat was on fire when I woke up choking. Everything was black.
“I thought not to open the door because the fire would come in. The only way I could get out was jumping through the window. I was shouting ‘Help, I’m trapped,’ and went to jump out the window with my dog. I went to the frame and it was that hot I couldn’t even touch it. I was thrown out the window and landed on both my feet.
“Some people saw me in the garden and carried me to safety. The dog survived – the fire brigade turned out as I got to safety. I shouted that my dog was in the flat; the fire crews kicked the door down and came out with her. She was a big ball of black.
“Everyone was crying in the middle of the street thinking she was dead. I screamed her name and she turned at looked at me and I thought, ‘Oh my God, she’s alive’. Everything was okay for me then – she is my lifeline.”
Tragically, the fire was so devastating it left nothing to salvage. Paige lost all of her possessions and did not have home insurance. She is currently staying with her mum and is waiting to see if she can be rehomed by the council.
“I’m feeling lost,” Paige continued. "Twenty-nine years of my life has gone. I’m a very sentimental person, I hardly throw anything away so I’ve lost everything. There’s nothing.
“I’m grateful because I still have my life and my dog still has her life. I’m grateful for that no matter what. I’ve come out with a broken leg and a couple of scars – it’s minor.
“But I’ve always been an independent person so having to get help having a bath and washing my hair is hard to get used to, but it is what it is. I don’t think it’s really hit me; it’s gone from having everything to living out of a Primark bag starting from scratch.
“At the moment I’m just stuck in a circle thinking, ‘Where am I going from here?’. I only just got my life intact. I just got out of domestic violence for many years and my mental health improved. I proved everyone wrong who doubted me and showed them I could do it just for my medication to not wake me up.”
A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) spokesperson said: “At 3:06am on Wednesday 20 July 2022, three fire engines from Atherton and Leigh fire stations attended a fire at a domestic property on Maple Crescent, Leigh.
“The fire involved a first floor flat, and firefighters used six breathing apparatus, two hose reels, a positive pressure ventilation fan, thermal imaging camera and short extension ladder to extinguish the fire. One casualty was taken to hospital by North West Ambulance Service. Fire crews were in attendance for over two hours.”
A fundraiser has since been set up to help Paige rebuild her life and replace some of the possessions she has lost. To donate, follow the link by clicking here.
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