Fundraiser for Chesterfield family launched after home destroyed in fire

Kelly Shaw and Steven Parsons managed to get their young children to safety as the blaze ripped through their home on Brushfield Road on Tuesday, April 23.

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue are currently working to confirm the cause of the fire, which is thought to have broken out due to a smouldering electrical wire in a wall cavity.

Firefighters from across Derbyshire had to cut away part of the roof of the property to get the fire under control.

Kelly said: “I’d come home from work and was in the garden when Steven asked if I wanted a cup of tea. He ran back out shouting, ‘Kelly, the house is on fire’.

“Thankfully we got our three daughters, aged one, five and 10, out of the house and I dragged them down the road where we just stood there, helpless. There was nothing we could do except wait for the fire service to arrive.

“My son, who is 14, was out playing with friends at the time and arrived on his bike to find smoke and fire engines swarming round.

“Sadly, he has been hit the hardest. His bedroom has been completely destroyed leaving just a few bits of lego floating in water. All his stuff gone.

“The fire spread through the wall at the bottom of the stairs into his bedroom, through our bedroom and into a neighbour’s house. I didn’t see it coming- I remember smelling something smokey around a week before this happened, but with all the BBQs going on as the weather heats up I didn’t think anything of it.

“We’ve been trying to salvage belongings, but at this stage the extent of the damage is unclear.

“It’s terrifying to think if this had happened at night, we probably wouldn’t have survived.”

But Kelly says the kindness of strangers has been a silver lining throughout the horrible ordeal.

She added: “We’ve been overwhelmed by all the help we’ve been offered- including clothes and a month free in temporary accommodation. I honestly can’t say thank you enough.

“One person I would like to track down is a lady who handed us a bag of toiletries she bought- shampoo, toothbrushes, stuff you don’t think about at a time like this. I would love to thank her personally if she reads this.”

A fundraiser has been set up in aid of the family by their friend Samantha Massey.

You can donate at: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/samantha-massey-1READ MORE: https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/fire-crews-from-across-derbyshire-dealt-with-fire-in-the-roof-of-house-1-9729395