Kitchen Lane in Essington and lightning has set fire to a number of houses. We take a look at the destruction.
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00:00Steve, hello sir. Hello. Not the nicest of circumstances I'm meeting you under, just
00:10fill us in on what's happened Steve. So basically lightning on Saturday night struck our roof,
00:16struck the chimney flume, it set fire to the attic and then it spread out through the four
00:21houses. Yeah and you were watching the lightning yourself as it was happening weren't you but
00:29not realising I guess that it had hit your house initially. No it wasn't until we heard the bang
00:34and the whole house shaking that we realised that it actually hit our house. So you literally felt
00:39the house kind of move with it. We felt the house shake when it hit, it's horrible. So who was in
00:45the house at the time Steve? Me, my missus, my daughter and the dog. Yeah and how old's your
00:51daughter then? My daughter's ten years old. Very scary then for everyone. She was petrified. So
00:56was your first thoughts, well we've been it, fire maybe? Is that what you were thinking like? When it first
01:02hit all the electricity went out so it was just about getting the electrics back on so we tripped
01:06the switches and then the neighbour across the road come and knocked on the door and he's the one
01:11that told us there's a little fire on your roof. Yeah. We went out and had a look and there was so I came
01:16upstairs and opened the attic hatch and saw the black thick smoke just pilling out of the hatch
01:23and it was just get everybody out. So I got my daughter and the dog, got her out into the car,
01:28went out to the missus who was on the phone to the fire brigade at the time and we started pounding on
01:32the neighbours doors because none of them had the slightest idea what was going on. So we knocked on
01:36all the doors and got everybody out to make sure everyone was safe. How many houses is it affected
01:41then Steve? Well we had to evacuate six because the six are connected these terrace houses. Yeah.
01:47But it's four houses that have been affected but there's only three of them because one's empty. Yeah.
01:52So there's us, Michael and Jean's is empty and then there's Sarah's and then there's number 11 as well.
01:57Yeah and I mean we're in your daughter's room aren't we and how is she coping with it all? Is she kind of
02:04she staying strong with it or is she having nightmares you know what I mean? She's staying
02:09strong at the moment. She's had a few outbursts like you know to be expected. It's still shock at
02:15the moment to be honest with you. Yeah. I think staying with family's helping because she's got
02:19her cousins to play with so it's keeping her mind occupied. Yeah. But yeah it's the thought of losing
02:24all of her stuff. She's lost everything. Yeah. People don't realise I mean you've got the issue
02:29you've got the fire damage but then obviously the fire brigades do their great work and put it out
02:34so the whole thing doesn't burn down. But that leaves its own trail of destruction with the
02:38water doesn't it? Yeah the water damage it's amazing where it goes to you just don't we came
02:43in and it was just pouring everywhere. Yeah. I was allowed to come back in and get some stuff
02:48about one o'clock in the morning to come get a few bare essentials and water was just running
02:53down the walls coming out of the light switches and I'm thinking yeah it was everywhere. Yeah.
02:58And any idea so you're stopping with a family over Shropshire at the minute any ideas
03:03you know what's happening your own place and so on you know any what's happening in the future
03:09Is it all up in the air? It was all up in the air until this morning one of my customers is
03:15coming she's got an empty house and she's going to be letting us stay there for a few months until
03:20it's sorted. Yeah. This is amazing how the community's pulled together it really is and
03:25the love and the all the donations and the help that we're getting from people is unreal. I bet
03:31you felt like crying didn't you when she said look I'm gonna let you stop in this house. It was a
03:35massive massive relief. Yeah. You know my sister-in-law she's absolutely amazing has stepped
03:42up but obviously she's got a big family as well and so we crammed into one house it's you know
03:49it's just good to have our own place to try and sort out. Yeah. So you literally had the water
03:54pouring through the ceiling in here then didn't you Steve? The water was just pouring down through
03:57the ceiling soaked all the sofas the carpets everything's been soaking. Well that's it it's
04:01hard to appreciate that on footage but yeah carpets and settees they've gone in there they've
04:06had it. It's absolutely ruined. When something like this happens does does it take the property
04:13now I mean do you think right I want to get all this made over and I want to be back in here or
04:17are you a bit little bit thinking I don't I don't want to be back here now or how's it work?
04:22Me and the missus talked about it we we know we're a bit torn part of us is we've lived here
04:27for 13 years we've loved this house and we recently lost the neighbours next door because
04:32they both passed away but they were the main reason why we're staying here to be honest with
04:36you because they're an elderly couple and we really love being next to them so we're umming
04:41and ahhing about what are we going to do yeah it's you know it's it's a nice it's a nice area
04:46to live in it really is a nice little village but you know it's where we come back and was
04:51constantly thinking about it all the time yeah what if you know look what happened and things
04:56that yeah fresh paint and fresh plaster really knows is it gonna feel like home again I said I
05:02can imagine well imagine you stand here thinking exactly that you know how is this gonna be a
05:06comfy bedroom again for me daughter but I guess it is amazing what what what happens and you know
05:12you you move on and you kind of your autopilot kicks in so has it made you reflect on you know
05:18life and what things are worth and so on oh you realize that life like family and people that's
05:24all that matters isn't it at the end of the day it really is possessions that can all be replaced
05:29and like I said it's you know it's family that's all that matters and the love we get from the
05:34community I didn't realize that was that kind of people around still you know that so many people
05:39are reaching out friends family or even simple things just like a message are you okay and things
05:45like that you just don't expect it and it all helps it really does it's just you know yeah there's
05:50some good people about still in there yeah there is yeah yeah well we wish you all the best getting
05:56back on your feet chap I mean you know what a life lesson for your daughter to have had so young
06:02obviously not one you'd have chose for her to have but yeah puts a lot of things in perspective
06:07doesn't it when this happens like you say about what's importance in life yeah well all the best
06:11Steve with you and your family oh thank you