A disabled mother-of-one and her nine-year-old autistic son are facing Christmas without a home after their tumble dryer went up in flames destroying ‘everything they owned’.
Lisa Camilleri, from Shenley, Hertfordshire, was waiting for the three-year-old Hoover dryer to finish its cycle last month when she heard a ‘loud bang’ and her electricity tripped.
The 51-year-old rushed to her kitchen in the dark before sensing ‘glowing’ flames behind her. She watched in horror as flames erupted from behind the appliance.
Lisa Camilleri and her nine-year-old son Alfie, from Shenley, Hertfordshire, was waiting for the three-year-old Hoover dryer to finish its cycle last month when she heard a ‘loud bang’ and her electricity tripped
The 51-year-old rushed to her kitchen in the dark before sensing ‘glowing’ flames behind her. She watched in horror as flames erupted from behind the appliance (pictures show the aftermath of the flames)
Ms Camilleri panicked and quickly dialled 999 before running out into the street wearing just her pyjamas and slippers.
By the time the fire service arrived 10 minutes later, her flat had been engulfed in flames and she had ‘lost everything.’
Now the disabled mother faces a ‘bleak’ Christmas alone as her son Alfie has had to go and stay with his aunt, and she has been moved to temporary accommodation.
Ms Camilleri has urged others to check their home insurance because she is only getting £5,000 of the £12,500 she desperately needs after failing to keep his list of contents updated.
She said: ‘It’s very traumatic. Everything has been damaged – most of my flat.
‘I’ve had to get something to help me to sleep because I’m suffering with PTSD. I smell fire and burning everywhere I go. I wake up at night and I hear that bang.
Ms Camilleri has urged others to check their home insurance because she is only getting £5,000 of the £12,500 she desperately needs after failing to keep his list of contents updated
‘I’ve lost everything, but I just thank the Lord I managed to get out. Luckily Alfie wasn’t there. Christmas this year is looking bleak.’
Ms Camilleri had owned the dryer for three years and had never had any issues with it until it set on fire in early November.
She said: ‘When I first walked [into the kitchen], I didn’t even look at the dryer but I could feel something glowing behind me.
‘Then I turned around and all I could see were orange flames coming from the back of it.
‘I just stood there looking at it. Panic set in and there was smoke, then the windows blew out.
‘I managed to get out of the house. I struggled to get the door open, luckily I did, then I called the fire brigade.
‘They managed to put out the fire but it had already taken hold of the flat.
‘The only door that was closed was my little boy Alfie’s bedroom. That’s not too bad – it’s salvageable.
‘I’ve got to salvage as much as I can because I’d under-insured myself. I’d forgotten to update it when I bought new stuff.
‘I have to save my leather sofa and chairs from the smoke damage, my bed, that’s got smoke all over it. And Alfie’s stuff too.’
Ms Camilleri has now been out of her home for more than a month and is living separately from Alfie to save him from the trauma, as he struggles to adapt to changes due to his suspected autism.
Ms Camilleri has now been out of her home for more than a month and is living separately from Alfie to save him from the trauma, as he struggles to adapt to changes due to his suspected autism
Although her housing association have given her a temporary flat, she claims they refuse to carpet it – leaving her to walk on bare floorboards.
Ms Camilleri said: ‘They’ve found me a temporary house which I’m starting to move into now, but they won’t let me stay here [for the future].
‘That’s the worst thing about it – I cannot go back to my flat, it’s too traumatising.
‘They won’t carpet the new place or anything like that. They said it’s not in their policy.
‘Alfie’s diagnosed with severe anxiety and is waiting to be assessed for autism. He’s got a two-year learning delay.
‘He won’t step foot in this new [temporary accommodation] place until it’s absolutely spotless, because any sign of dirt and he goes crazy. All his stuff that I can save needs to be put in place for him.
‘It’s just so hard. I’m trying to do my best by mopping the floorboards and he’s staying with my daughter at the moment.
‘I’m expecting to stay here for months, depending on the work needed. There’s so much work to be done [on my flat].
Because she was under-insured, Lisa will receive just 42 percent of what is needed to replace her damaged belongings. The stay-at-home mother and Alfie face a long journey ahead as they try to find £7,000 to repair their flat
Ms Camilleri claims she reported the fire to Hoover and was told she needed to go through her insurance
‘Luckily, I have a supportive family who have been doing as much as they can.’
Ms Camilleri claims she reported the fire to Hoover and was told she needed to go through her insurance.
However, after moving house years earlier, she had taken out home insurance but forgotten to update it as she bought new things for the flat.
Because she was under-insured, Lisa will receive just 42 percent of what is needed to replace her damaged belongings.
The stay-at-home mother and Alfie face a long journey ahead as they try to find £7,000 to repair their flat.
She said: ‘The insurance are paying less for my contents because I was under-insured.
‘I just hope people read this and remember to keep their contents insurance updated. So many people forget – exactly like I did.’
Hoover claimed they could find no record of Lisa’s call to them and said they were informed of the incident by the retailer.
A spokesperson for Hoover said: ‘The retailer informed us of the incident on 11th November 2019 and, as per our protocols, contacted the customer to organise inspection of the appliance.
‘We were told that the product had already been taken away on 8th November so unfortunately we have been unable to undertake our own investigation.
‘Whilst we sympathise with Ms Camilleri’s situation, we are unable to shed any further light on this particular incident as we have been unable to inspect the appliance ourselves.
‘We would of course like to once the customer’s insurance company has been in touch and the product is made available to us.
‘We would however like to take the opportunity to reiterate that all Hoover appliances conform to all required EU quality and safety requirements and we can confirm that there have been no safety notices on this product.’