St Ann's man went to bed thinking bonfire was out. 'Decades of memories' were lost when he woke up
"Decades worth of memories" have been lost in a Nottingham house fire, which spread from a bonfire the occupant thought was out before he went to bed.More than 30 firefighters were called to the devastating blaze in The Wells Road, Thorneywood, in the early hours of Sunday (May 3) morning.Thankfully, no one was injured, but most of the occupant's possessions were incinerated or damaged beyond repair as the flames rose towards the roof.Devern, a 54-year-old primary school caretaker who lived at the address, was lucky to escape, according to his niece Koreena Lookham."He was in a deep sleep. He's obviously traumatised," she said."It's been completely life-changing for him."Ms Lookham, 41, said most of the house's items, which were not insured, were unrecoverable, including "decades worth of photos and memories".An investigation by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS), which deployed six crews to the blaze just before 1am, found it was caused by a bonfire which had not been fully extinguished before Devern went to sleep.The fire spread to a shed before taking hold of the house and rising up to the roof, a spokesperson said.Ms Lookham said the fire had also stunned her grandma, who owns the house and was planning to move back in from Jamaica in the near future."My grandma is very shaken up by it. She's had the house for nearly 50 years," she said."Now she's not a house to move back to. To have news like this, she's in shock herself."She's really, really suffering at the minute."Ms Lookham, who lives in Coalville, Leicestershire, has launched a fundraiser to help her uncle "rebuild" his life, which has already raised upwards of £1,000."It's really overwhelming, people have donated care packages and offered clothes and electrical items. It's been really lovely," she said."Even though it's not happened in our area, there's still been a lot of offering of support from the community."Visit the GoFundMe here.
