Mother and son lucky to be alive after Borth y Gest fire

Jun 4 2009 by Kelly Fenna, Caernarfon and Denbigh Herald

A MOTHER and son are lucky to be alive after an extractor fan in their kitchen burst into flames last Thursday at their home in Borth y Gest.

Ian Jenkins and his mum Maxine were out when an electrical fault sparked a blaze at Sea View Terrace.

Neighbours were alerted to the fire after seeing smoke from upstairs windows.

The fire was so fierce it took crews more than three hours to bring it under control.

Mr Jenkins, 28, said: “We are so lucky to be alive.

“This could have happened while we were asleep in our beds – it’s scary to think an electrical fault can cause so much destruction.

“I can’t thank the fire service enough.”

He explained he had gone shopping to Bangor, and his mum was in work.

He said: “Someone came to tell her the house was on fire – I arrived in the street to find fire engines everywhere.

“I have lived here all of my life, it is the family home.

“We have lost a lot of sentimental things in the fire but thankfully we are all okay.

“We are lucky we have good friends who have been kind enough to let us stay with them while we get ourselves sorted.”

Fire engines from Porthmadog, Pwllheli and Blaenau Ffestiniog were called to the scene at 2.50pm.

Firefighters initially feared someone was trapped inside the burning building but soon discovered it was empty.

The incident spurred fresh warnings about the dangers of leaving electrical appliances plugged in and unattended.

County operations manager Mike Owen said: “This fire highlights the need for people to switch off electrical appliances when not in use and when properties are left empty.”

The house suffered extensive heat and smoke damage.

For a free home fire safety check by North Wales firefighters, call 0800 169 1234.