Hundreds raised for St Leonards family who lost home in fire just days before Christmas

Kay Greenslade, 31, her fiancé Anthony Gilham, 36, and their four children were awoken by their smoke alarm at 5am on Tuesday (December 22).

Anthony went to investigate and found a sofa well alight in the front room of their Marina, St Leonards, flat.

He alerted Kay to the flames who called 999 before she managed to get their four children – an 11-year-old daughter and three sons, aged nine, four, and one – out of the fourth-floor property before they were harmed.

Anthony, who stayed in the flat and attempted to tackle the flames, suffered burns and smoke inhalation and spent eight hours in hospital but is now recovering.

The fire and smoke caused severe damage to the flat, including smashing a window, meaning the family is now unable to return until January 9 at the earliest.

Kay, Anthony and their four children were placed in temporary accommodation on Tuesday evening after initially being told there might not be enough space before Christmas.

Kay said: “We have lost everything. I have some baby clothes and Anthony and my sister are back at the flat today to salvage all the other bits they can. Most things have been destroyed.

“With everything that is going on at the moment, the shops are shut so we can’t go out to pick up some extra bits. We’ve lost some Christmas presents which we also can’t replace.

“The cost of the temporary accommodation should be covered by our landlord’s insurance but we didn’t take out contents insurance. It’s something I’ve always been meaning to do but never got round to.

“It is an awful situation at an awful time but we are just grateful to be alive. All the other stuff is just materialistic.”

Hastings Borough Council said its housing team is liaising with the fire service and property owner to make plans for when it is safe for the family to return.

The fire service said an investigation found the cause to be an accidental electrical fire. Kay believes it may have started because of a Christmas decoration and was spread quickly by a garland.

She added: “I want people to be careful with their Christmas decorations. This garland is really bad and helped spread the flames. People should be more careful with these things as never did I think this would happen to us.”

A fundraising campaign set up on Wednesday has now raised £915. If you would like to donate, click here.

East Sussex Fire, who sent three fire engines to the scene, said the lives of all six people in the property were probably saved thanks to a working smoke alarm.

The fire service said people are four times more likely to die in a fire at home if they do not have a working smoke alarm.

A spokesman added: “A smoke alarm is the easiest way to alert you to the danger of fire, giving you time to escape. They are cheap, easy to get hold of and easy to fit. The more alarms you have, the safer you’ll be – as long as they are working – so make sure you test them weekly. You should have a minimum of one alarm on each floor. However, if you have only one alarm and two floors, put it somewhere you’ll be able to hear it when you’re asleep.”