Romsey mum-of-five trying to rebuild her life after house fire

Sarah Weston, 38, and her children had to flee their home after a fire ripped through the building on Mother's Day.

The cause of the blaze is still uncertain but is believed to have started in the conservatory.

Sarah said: “It was devastating to the kids, an upheaval for them to watch our whole house burn, our whole life, everything we’ve worked for.

“We didn’t have any clothes when we left, I was still wearing my slippers.”

Aftermath of the house fire on Chambers Avenue (Image: The aftermath of the fire on Chambers Avenue)

Her partner, Neil Ashwell, 42, lives at a separate address but was in the house in Chambers Avenue, Romsey when the fire broke out.

He suffered burns to his hand whilst trying to save as much as possible from the blaze.

He said: “I had a fire extinguisher in the kitchen which I used to put out, but the flames went straight up.

“I was grabbing everything I could and chucking it all in the back garden, I was trying desperately to put it out, I burnt my hands, my track bottoms were melted to my leg, even the air bubbles to my trainers.

“I tried my hardest, but I couldn’t put it out.”

Following the blaze, Sarah and four of her five kids - three boys aged one, seven and 16 and a ten-year-old girl - were put in temporary housing in Mount Pleasant, Romsey.

However, two weeks ago a leak in one of the rooms damaged a closet and mattress.

Making things worse, the family was left without power for a week, which forced Sarah to rely on family members to provide a bed for her kids.

"All my kids have had to stay with different family members, my one-year-old has been waking up every day somewhere different," she said.

"All of them are elderly couples so it’s hard for them to have kids at their houses, it’s just been a nightmare, to say the least."

Sarah added: “We just want to get our house back to have somewhere safe for the kids.”

Fortunately for the family, Halterworth Primary School offered them food vouchers and support for uniforms.

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