A HEARTBROKEN house fire survivor says her sturdy old 18th century home acted as her ‘old lady’ guardian angel, saving her life by containing the raging inferno.
Cllr Mel Fordington and husband Carl escaped the fire at their country home near Hallow after a blaze broke out in the living room at around 4am on Tuesday.
The fire in their eighteenth century house filled the property with thick black smoke with Cllr Fordington initially believing the fire alarm was a car alarm only to venture downstairs and discover to her horror, her house was on fire.
“Everything was so black, you could not see your own hand. I felt like a blind person but, inhaling all that smoke, I knew this was damaging me and I had to get out of the house now,” she said.
The Conservative county councillor for Hallow has praised the firefighters in particular – she believes three fire engines attended the fire. We have approached Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service for more details.
OMEN: This figurine, holding a cross, shows the effects of smoke damage while Cllr Mel Fordington’s university photo is shrouded in soot (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)
However, she believes the firefighters were not their only guardian angels that fateful morning – the old house itself seemed to be acting as their protector.
Cllr Fordington does not believe a smaller, modern house would have contained the fire so effectively. When she heard a roaring sound behind the living room door, she reached out in the smoke-filled darkness and touched the wood. It was hot. But it was this sturdy door, she says, that kept the fire at bay.
READ MORE: Hallow councillor and husband escape devastating house fire
“The door saved our lives and stopped the fire from spreading. This old lady did us proud. This historic house stood tall. The house, the fire alarms, the firefighters, all acted like guardian angels,” she said, pointing at the robust old door which stopped the raging fire from spreading to the hall and the upper floors where the couple slept.
Cllr Fordington added: “She is my old lady. These kind of old houses, they have their own personality. A modern house would have gone up more quickly. Back in the day, when people built these houses, they knew what they were doing. Their infrastructure, their architectural schemes, they built things to last and you can see this.”
SCORCHED: A horse head stained black by the soot of the fire near Hallow which was successfully contained (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)
Speaking to the Worcester News in the charred and scorched living room, it is not hard to appreciate how close she and husband Carl came to disaster and why, despite the damage, they feel lucky to be alive. They have no electricity but the home remains in a habitable condition because of how well the old frame of the house contained the fire.
The family are busy about the house making necessary adjustments as friends and family arrive to show their support, something for which Cllr Fordington says she is deeply grateful.
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The blackened wallpaper has peeled off the walls. Picture frames containing precious family photos are buckled, security cameras have been destroyed and they have lost a beautiful tapestry, consumed in the inferno. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Cllr Fordington believes it may been caused by doves in the chimney but we have yet to receive official confirmation from the fire service on a cause.
The blaze started near the fireplace and even part of the floor now has a gaping hole although metal struts held it together better than expected considering the fire’s ferocity.
The house is insured but she estimates the fire has caused thousands of pounds worth of damage despite being successfully contained to the living room.
SOURCE: Cllr Mel Fordington says the seat of the fire at her home near Hallow was the fireplace and may have been caused by doves in the chimney (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)
The head of a pale ornamental stallion has been stained black with soot and seems to stare forlornly at the blackened spines of books and and a figurine clutches a cross.
The stench of smoke hangs in the air despite the couple’s best efforts to ventilate the property.
Meanwhile, the hallway through which they completed their escape through thick black smoke at 4am is filled with salvaged items they have pulled from their living room and outside lie the remains of furniture.
Visibly emotional at times, Cllr Fordington is still trying to make sense of what has happened.
“I feel very shaky. I can feel the smoke each time I breathe out,” she said. “It was black smoke. I felt like I could not breathe.”