Pregnant Derbyshire mum describes terrifying moment family fled from house fire as video shows their gutted home

Melissa Fox says she and her children have been left ‘homeless’ after the electrical fire ripped through their Bolsover house.

She has launched an online fundraising appeal after witnessing the smoke damage caused to the inside of the building – with most of her children’s belongings lost in the fire.

The single mum, along with children Ellie, 13, Dylan, 11, and four-year-old Ivy, was at home on Sunday evening at about 6.45pm when her fire alarm went off at the Nesbit Street property.

"I honestly thought my daughter had burnt fish fingers as she was in the kitchen,” Melissa said.

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"But as I walked into the kitchen the oven wasn’t even on so I went upstairs shouting my son to check and saw black smoke around the door handle.

“I tried the door but it wouldn’t open so I shouted to the kids get out the house.

"My son came out of his room, ran downstairs and shouted to the girls to get out.

"I grabbed my phone off the sofa and my children shouted for the dog to follow.

"We were all in shock, scared and pacing about. I told the children to knock on next door in case the fire spread.”

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Since the blaze, Melissa has been living at her partner’s home in Manchester, with her two oldest children stopping at friends so they can stay in school.

"I am 25 weeks’ pregnant so this whole experience is stressful and terrifying for me and my children,” she said.

“I’m just so glad we had each other and we are all safe.”

Melissa says firefighters told her there is ‘nothing left’ of her daughter’s bedroom, where the fire started, and she believes was sparked by a mobile phone charger.

“Most of the house is smoke damaged and most of our belongings will need replacing,” she added.

"The window in my daughter’s room is melted, the TV was melted off the wall and there is nothing left of the bunk beds.”

To help Melissa, visit her fundraising page here.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said the most likely cause was electrical.

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