A Salford mum whose house was destroyed in a fire just 11 days before Christmas has spoken of her heartbreak.
Yvonne Midgley lost everything when a blaze tore through her Irlam home on December 14.
The 48-year-old had been out shopping with her young sons when the fire ignited at around 6pm.
The cause was found to be an electric fan heater that had malfunctioned.
The family had not long returned to their home on Princess Avenue when the chaos unfolded.
Yvonne’s son Oliver, 18, was halfway up the stairs when he noticed flames had engulfed the landing.
READ MORE: Major supermarket is selling Christmas veg for 1p - and it's not Aldi, Lidl or ASDA
Thankfully, the family, including 14-year-old dog Sasha, managed to escape the property unharmed.
But sadly the inferno destroyed everything in its path, including Christmas presents for the children.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News , Yvonne said: “All we have now is what we had on our backs.
“I have my moments; I’ll be positive one minute and the next minute I can’t speak.
“I got into the bath at my mums and just broke down.
“I’ve got 101 things going through my head at the moment.
“I don’t have a clue what we’re going to do.”
Yvonne started using an electric fan heater, which was placed on her staircase landing, after her gas supply was switched off.
It came following gas leaks in the area, leaving the family without heating for two weeks.
Yvonne and her sons Oliver, 18, and Jack, 11, are now living at her mother’s house until the foreseeable future.
“They’ve lost everything, even their high school uniform.
“My eldest is handling it in his own head, but I know if it’s bothering him, he will come and talk to me.
“My youngest is too young to comprehend it all.
“Every now and again we will have our moments.
“It happened after I waited for my little boy to come home from school.
“We went to the shop and came back and the house was on fire. Usually, Jack would stay at home but he came with us.”
Yvonne did not have home insurance, meaning her family have been left with nothing.
“My home is uninhabitable,” she continued.
“The smoke damage is far too much, there’s water damage, there’s everything. Everything went.
“I’m living at my parents at the moment but I’m only here temporarily.
“I’m not sure what’s going to happen in the next few days.
“I tried to speak to a doctor because I thought I was going crazy at one point.
“The future is worrying. It’s really worrying.”
Yvonne and her boys plan to stay at her parents' home over the festive period.
After that, she says she has “no clue” for the future.
A fundraiser has been set up to help Yvonne and her family rebuild their lives.
The money will also help go towards replacing the Christmas presents lost in the fire.
To donate, follow the link by clicking here.
