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A brave schoolgirl has been hailed a hero after running inside her burning home to save her sleeping mother, brother and sister after a ‘phone charger caught fire’.
Olivia Patterson, six, was playing across the road with a friend when she realised her home in Riccall, North Yorkshire, was on fire.
The young girl ran into the house where she found her mother Laura, 29, and her siblings Joel-James, one, and Tiffany, two, asleep on the sofa.
Olivia woke her family up and all three escaped the fire unharmed thanks to her heroic efforts.
Her grandmother Sadie Gelder says she is ‘so proud’ of her ‘amazing’ granddaughter for rescuing her family.
The 54-year-old said: ‘We are absolutely so proud of her. She’s got ADHD so she’s been absolutely amazing.
‘We can’t believe Olivia got Laura out, she’s six-years-old and ran in a burning building.’
An investigation into the fire is currently ongoing but the family have been told it might have been caused by a phone charger.
But Ms Gelder said nobody actually went into the house to rescue Laura and the children, because they didn’t think anyone was home.
She said: ‘Olivia saw people in the street but she just ran in to wake her mum up.
‘She was shouting ‘wake up mum, the house is on fire – wake up the babies.’
‘The people in the street didn’t think anyone was in because there wasn’t a car on the drive.’
Sadie says that the family are now staying in an Airbnb because they have lost almost everything in the blaze.
A fundraising page has been set up by Laura’s former colleagues to help support the family.
Sadie said: ‘They managed to get a few of the baby’s clothes but everything else has gone, including their birthday presents.
‘People have been donating beds, bedding and towels – things like that.
‘She should be getting another council house but it’s all the little things so it’s just to help her build everything back up.’
The GoFundMe page set up by Marsha Roworth has so far raised over £1,000 for the family.
The fundraiser reads: ‘Five days ago, Laura was awoken by her daughter (who was across the road at the time the blaze began) telling her the house was on fire.
‘Amazingly her daughter saw it by absolute chance, went into the house to raise the alarm to her mum, and this led to Laura and the rest of her children making it out safely.
‘Unfortunately there was no stopping the fire and it tore through the majority of the house. Everything they own has been destroyed.
‘The fire structural engineer has been out to assess Laura’s home and they have been dealt a blow as the house needs to be knocked down and rebuilt, it cannot be saved.
‘They are currently living in an Airbnb whilst they figure out somewhere they can stay more permanently but they have little to no belongings left.’
To make a donation, visit gofundme.com.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
