23 December 2023 , 09:50
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A dad is heartbroken after a fire gutted his family's home days before Christmas.
Ollie Jones, 41, is bereft after he lost all his family's Christmas presents and precious belongings, such as photos and sentimental items, in the huge blaze, which tore through the home in the early hours of Sunday morning.
He, his wife Carla and their sons; Dylan, 17, and 13-year-old Alfie were asleep when the fire started and Ollie believes, if the heat hadn't woken his eldest son, his whole family would have died.
Speaking to the Mirror today, the dad of two said: "I can remember it as clear as day. I was woken at 5.30am by my eldest son Dylan, shouting 'there's a fire'. We panicked and we tried to tackle the fire ourselves at first with wet towels and buckets but it got out of control so quickly.
"It woke Dylan, as it must have spread under his bed. If Dylan hadn't woken up and alerted us, we would have all died within minutes. We have lost all our Christmas presents and then material stuff, precious family stuff like photos and baby stuff. We have lost the kids' computers. You just don't expect it, it's awful. We have been lucky in that we could have died so easily, but it's gutted the home."
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Ollie Jones, pictured with his youngest son, is heartbroken after the fire (The Jones Family)
The ceiling of the property collapsed at the rear and everything is destroyed (The Jones Family)Dylan suffered severe burns to both of his hands and right ankle. The teenager now needs to visit hospital every day for treatment for the foreseeable future and may need a skin graft.
Ollie says fire investigators in Hastings, East Sussex, believe the blaze may have been caused by a phone charger or laptop charger overheating overnight.
Footage taken by Ollie, who works in facilities maintenance, shows the shell of the property after the blaze. Nothing, including the family's Christmas gifts, could have been salvaged and Ollie, 37-year-old Carla and their boys are now living in a hotel.
The home in Hastings, East Sussex, caught fire in the early hours of the morning (The Jones Family)
The family have nothing but the clothes on their back following the blaze (The Jones Family)They'll remain there for at least two more weeks, paid for by their insurance for now, but they will never return to the family home. It means a prolonged stay in the hotel, which has no self-catering facilities other than a kettle, or a desperate rush to find a property suitable for the four of them. The Jones were excited for a Christmas at home, plans which have been quickly shattered
Ollie was due to begin a new job as a facilities assistant at a school last Monday and, although the school has postponed the start date, Ollie fears he'll lose the post.
"Christmas has changed, obviously, and it's most likely we will spend it in the hotel. We've lost all our presents and we were going to spend the day at home together so it's awful," the father, who volunteers as a youth football coach in his spare time, added.
The fire quickly became 'out of control,' Ollie says (The Jones Family)
The family home has been gutted days before Christmas (The Jones Family)"You just don't expect it, it's awful... Friends have offered to bring us Christmas dinners on Christmas Day, as we are only bed and breakfast here and, other than a kettle, there are no self-catering facilities in the room.
"The support has been great from everywhere, friends and strangers. I am involved a lot in youth football, and the community in that is massive, especially locally, so they've helped hugely, which is great. You've got people and teams down here who are so kind. I run a soccer Saturday event, which is basically a free session where kids can come and play football on a Saturday morning just for fun and people involved in that have helped. I'm very grateful, especially at this time of year."
But, as the family may have to stay in the hotel in Hastings for longer than first hoped, a crowdfunding page has been created to help support them. Money is being raised for the accommodation if the insurers do not pay beyond the two weeks, and funds are being arranged to help find Ollie's family the deposit and early rent they'll need for a suitable property after their stay. To donate, click this link.