A family’s memories went up in a blaze when a fire ripped through a mum-of-eight’s home.
Lindsey Gilbert, 31, "lost everything" and has been left homeless after an inferno gutted her house.
Now she and her kids, whose ages range from two to 14, have been separated and are staying at different addresses and hostels.
The fire is understood to have started after a pan of food on an electrical hob caught fire.
Neither Lindsey or her children were injured during the terrifying incident thanks to the quick thinking of one of the youngsters.
The alarm was raised by a child who saw smoke in the kitchen and began shouting for everyone to ‘get out’, the Manchester Evening News reports.
A close family friend has set up a fundraising page to help the family get back on their feet after following the August 11 incident in Newton Heath, Manchester.
A statement on the GoFundMe page read: "My friend Lindsey and her children lost everything they own in a fire and are now in a hostel with nothing - no food or clothes.
"All the memories went up in a blaze and Lindsey's children now have no toys,
"Not long till Christmas now and no child deserves to spend Christmas in a hostel."
Devastated Lindsey revealed she has been told she and her family could be waiting months before they are rehoused.
She said: "There was a pan of oil that had been left on the stove. It was switched off at the wall but the stove was switched on.
"I turned it on to put a chicken in the oven but didn’t realise the stove had switched on too.
"My dad turned up at the door so I went to go and speak to him."
Lindsey added: "There was black smoke coming through the house.
"Thankfully we all got out safely but we have lost everything.
"We are now staying in a hostel in Cheetham Hill.
"My five youngest children have had to go and stay with their grandma because it’s not suitable for them here.
"The kids aren’t doing well. It’s really stressful."
Lindsey said she is waiting to hear about where they will be rehomed, but fears she will only be offered a two-bedroom house.
Lindsey added: "They said we could be waiting months.
"I am in this place and I have got no money or anything, I just need some help."
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) confirmed details of the blaze and said it took almost an hour to extinguish the fire.
You can donate to Lindsey's fundraising page here.
