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A family who was left homeless after a fire destroyed their home just before Christmas have made a special visit to Jersey Fire and Rescue Service to thank their “heroes" with special cupcakes portraying the family's cat, Tinka, who was rescued from the blaze.
When the Griffiths’ family home in St Clement was engulfed in flames, Mother Nadine and her children, seven-year-old George and five-year-old Mollie, escaped unharmed from their home.
Little Tinka, however, was not so lucky. She had to be resuscitated by the Fire Service using a pet oxygen mask, and has suffered permanent damage to her lungs.
The Griffiths family visited the Fire Station at Rouge Bouillon yesterday to thank the crew who were on duty when the fire broke out and reunited them with their beloved Tinka. The children presented the White Watch crew with a box of cupcakes, each featuring a picture of their furry family member.
Pictured: The family's cat was revived using a pet oxygen mask.
Mrs Griffiths said that she was so grateful for the support they have had since the fire turned their lives upside-down. She and her husband, Jamie, described the firefighters involved as "heroes".
"Sincerely" thanking them, she commented: "A simple accident took minutes to ignite an uncontrollable fire. I never thought that this would happen to us so please be warned.
"Since the fire we have tried to salvage some belongings of sentimental value. Losing our home with all its memories has been extremely difficult. However, we are extremely grateful that our family were uninjured."
Since the fire, the family have been staying at Mrs Griffiths' parents house. They added that they were thankful to the "amazing family and friends who have been so supportive to us at this difficult time.
"We have been overwhelmed by people’s kindness, understanding and generosity."
Pictured: The thankful family brought cupcakes with Tinka's face on them to the firefighters who rescued her.
Mrs Griffiths explained that on the day of the fire, she arrived home after picking her children up from school on a wet day. She stacked washing baskets to the side of the cooker while she quickly went to her bedroom to get changed out of her wet clothes.
"It was at this point that my son George ran to me screaming that the kitchen was on fire, as his bedroom is in line with the kitchen area. The fire was filling the small kitchen area so I knew there was nothing I could do. I instructed the children to run to my car to keep safe while I located the mobile phone and keys and followed," she recalled.
"We had only had the new electric cooker for a couple of weeks. The dials faced upright and turned very easily without depressing them. The smoke damage to the rest of the property and belongings is unbelievable. The smoke gets into every corner of even closed drawers and the smell is toxic. We are due to meet the insurance company, who have been very helpful, and who are to confirm the final outcome of the situation. However we recommend that families should evaluate their own contents and property insurance annually."
Now Mrs Griffiths is warning others "how easily and quickly these things can happen" and to speak to their children about fire safety.
She said: "You never think these things happen to you. Our son George raised the alarm before the smoke alarm sounded and both followed good instructions to exit the house. They had been given fire safety talks in school but I think it is so important for parents to talk to children about what they should do at home in event of a fire, and know the emergency exits and assemble in a safe area."
Pictured: The fire started after washing baskets where left to the side of the cooker, and left the kitchen charred.
Watch Commander Paul McGrath praised the children for their quick actions following the fire and using what they had learned in school. "It was refreshing to hear that the input that the children had received from the Fire Service, at school, was used on this occasion and the alarm was raised and everyone left the property and called for assistance."
He also warned islanders about hobs, saying they are "not an extension of your work surfaces and should be left clear and isolated at all times when not cooking."
"We attend lots of incidents where items placed on the hob have caused a fire, even if the hob has been used recently but is off, the residual heat is enough to, in the best case scenario, cause irreparable damage to the hob and worse case, devastating damage to the home and potentially loss of life," he explained.
Mr McGrath also issued advice to follow when a fire breaks out:
"We understand that when we arrive on scene that you are involved in a stressful situation but please prepare yourself for the following questions that fire officers may ask:
"If a fire occurs at your property please do not go back inside, call the fire service and stay out."
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