A fire that forced a Montrose family from their home weeks before Christmas has been described as being “like a bad dream”.
Nikki Bradburn and her daughters Elodie, eight, and seven-year-old Elfie are living in temporary council housing after a blaze ripped through their Coronation Way house on Sunday.
Nikki said she woke up to a feeling of “extreme heat” before realising the fire had taken hold in her bedroom.
She rushed to get her daughters – and their friend who had been staying the night – out of the house before alerting neighbours.
Firefighters tackled flames for more than two hours as the blaze destroyed the roof of the property as well as one of the bedrooms and the living room ceiling.
A fundraiser set up by Nikki’s friend Kayley Bain, 34, has since raised more than £6,000 for the family.
Thousands raised for Montrose family after bedroom went ‘up in flames’
Nikki has given permission for Kayley to speak on her behalf.
Kayley told The Courier: “I was speaking to some people who had been driving to work and had gone past the house.
“They said they had seen houses on fire before but never to that extreme.
“There were orange flames coming out of the back window.”
Kayley said Nikki had fallen asleep on the sofa while her daughters and a friend were upstairs.
She was woken by the fire alarm, though did not realise how serious the fire was until she made her way upstairs.
Kayley said: “She thought it was something small until she stood up and felt extreme heat going through her body.
“Then she got to the stairs and realised there was a fire and had to put her dressing gown over her face.
“She said her bedroom was up in flames and she had to run to get the girls out of the house.
“She was then banging on her neighbours’ door to tell them.
“She doesn’t know the cause for certain, she had to do a floor plan for the fire service, but it seems to have been an electrical fault.
“It took hold really quickly.”
‘I couldn’t stand there and not do anything’
Kayley says some of the money donated will go towards buying new furniture, while it will also help Nikki to celebrate Christmas and both of her daughters’ birthdays in December.
Kayley added: “Nikki visited the house and said there is no ceiling in the living room any more because of the fire in the bedroom.
“I think for her it is like a bad dream, like it has not sunk in, she is in shock.
“When I went over it was all taped off by the police and fire service.
“It wasn’t until later on when everything had moved and I was speaking to Nikki and she said to go round the back.
“That was when I saw the roof, it didn’t seem that bad from the other side.
“We couldn’t believe it.
“You wouldn’t wish that on your worst enemy, they have lost everything.
“I couldn’t stand there and not do anything.
“There has not been anything like this in Borrowfield for a long time and I just wanted to do something because I hope someone would do the same for me in that situation.”
Kayley added: “When I started the fundraiser people were also messaging and donating clothes, shoes and jackets.
“People have also offered to buy toys for the girls’ birthdays and Christmas.
“There was also a woman who went to Tesco to buy underwear and pyjamas and mentioned who they were for at the checkout.
“Tesco said they would donate the items for them.
“Nikki would like to thank everyone and can’t believe the support people have been giving her.”
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