A newlywed couple have been left homeless after a devastating blaze tore through their home and rendered it ‘an empty burnt out shell’.
The suspected extension lead fire happened at Jess and Johnny Kosma-Whitty’s ground-floor maisonette in Hatton Close, Northfleet, Kent, on May 18.
The couple, who married last July, moved into the home around a year and a half ago, and say they are now being forced to ‘start all over again’.
Jess, 30, said she woke up to a strange sound on the morning of the blaze but had initially put it down to her two cats Arlo and Theo.
‘Our bedroom is next to the kitchen and as I opened the door a massive cloud of smoke hit me, and I could see flames in the kitchen,’ she said.
‘I screamed at my husband to wake up and we were able to get out the front door.
‘As I was trying to get out, I was also trying to get the cats together, one ran out the window and firefighters rescued the other one. They’re both doing okay now.’
The couple, who have been together for six years, escaped the home with only the clothes they were wearing after leaving their phones behind.
The suspected extension lead fire happened at Jess and Johnny Kosma-Whitty’s ground-floor maisonette in Hatton Close, Northfleet, Kent
The couple escaped the home with only the clothes they were wearing after leaving their phones behind
They then had to knock on neighbours’ doors to get firefighters called to the scene.
Four fire engines arrived shortly after 5.30am on May 18, after being called.
Crews extinguished the flames with hose reel jets and cleared the property of smoke using high-pressure fans. A volunteer response team also attended.
The cause of the fire is believed to be linked to an electrical fault with an extension lead in the kitchen.
Jess said the ordeal has put her and Johnny, 29, off using extension leads in the future.
She said: ‘Johnny’s already said to me that when we rewire we’re going to have plug sockets everywhere. We don’t want any more extension leads.
‘I used to do a ritual every night, I’d make sure the hob was off and locked and that any switches that shouldn’t have been on were off.
‘I’m quite safe with making sure things are off, but you just never think that that’s going to happen.
‘We worked so hard to get the house sale through. When we moved in we ripped everything out and put in so much hard work and all our money into doing it up to how we wanted it.
‘This year we wanted to relax, enjoy it and start our life together, and potentially think about having children.
Crews extinguished the flames with hose reel jets and cleared the property of smoke using high-pressure fans
Four fire engines arrived at the scene shortly after 5.30am on May 18, after being called
‘But now this has happened and we’ve got to start all over again. It’s pretty much an empty burnt-out shell at the moment.’
The pair have managed to salvage a few bags of clothes and a few boxes of their belongings from the home.
Jess said structural engineers have confirmed the building is safe, and they have now started stripping back the walls and ceilings.
The couple are sleeping on an airbed at Jess’ parents’ home nearby while trying to secure temporary accommodation.
In the meantime, they are still paying their mortgage and facing thousands of pounds in repair costs.
Jess said she hadn’t got around to renewing their home insurance, which means they are not covered for any of the damage.
‘It’s really gutting, it’s devastating,’ she said. ‘I kept meaning to get around to doing it.
‘We’ve been okay, we’ve been supporting each other and making sure we’re both okay, but it’s difficult at times.’
The fire service is advising people using extension leads to remember that even if there is space to plug in four appliances, this does not mean it is always safe to do so.
Instead, it encourages people to remove adaptors and plug in appliances directly if they can.
To avoid the risk of overheating and potential fires, appliances that together use more than 13 amps or 3,000 watts of energy should never be plugged into an extension lead.
The fire service also warns that adaptors should never be plugged into one another, as it creates an increased fire risk.
You can help Jess and Johnny here.
