Emma Flaherty, a 55-year-old mother from Worcester, recounted how her family’s home was completely devastated within a matter of minutes due to a cheap iPhone charger catching fire.
She first noticed the smell of smoke and quickly discovered that the bed in her daughter Chloe’s room was on fire. In a rush to ensure their safety, Emma managed to evacuate her 15-year-old daughter, Chloe, and her 12-year-old sister, Lola, from the house.
Last Sunday afternoon, firefighters swiftly responded to the incident and worked for approximately an hour to combat the fire that extensively ravaged the three-bedroom house.
According to Emma, the fire originated from an unbranded iPhone charger that overheated and subsequently ignited, swiftly engulfing the room in a matter of minutes.
Emma shared, “It was an iPhone charger I either bought off Amazon or from a newsagent so it wasn’t an official one. Chloe had put her iPhone 13 into charge while she had a nap.”
Within minutes, the charger unexpectedly caught fire, causing Chloe to wake up to her room engulfed in smoke and flames.
“I shouted to Chloe to get out the house while I grabbed Lola and carried her outside,” Emma recounted.
“We called 999 and my neighbours tried to put the flames out with a hose but the fire was just too big.”
“It’s still so surreal in my head. I just had to get my kids out, one who was in the fire asleep and the other who is disabled. My head is all over the place at the moment.”
The Worcester Station of the Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service dispatched three crews to the incident.
Equipped with breathing apparatus, two firefighters successfully extinguished the flames. Meanwhile, paramedics provided medical assistance to Emma, Chloe, and Lola, who suffers from mitochondrial complex I deficiency.
Regrettably, Emma did not possess contents insurance, which means she will not receive any compensation for her belongings that were lost in the fire.
In an effort to assist the family in rebuilding their lives, a GoFundMe campaign was initiated and has already raised over £1,000. Additionally, a delivery company has kindly volunteered to store any donations received for them.
Expressing her gratitude, Emma stated, “I am forever grateful for everyone’s generosity, the community of Worcester have been unbelievable.”Everything life has thrown at us all. we realise no matter how much we do things alone, we aren’t alone.”
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