Sheerness Family Woken Up By Kent Fire And Rescue Crew As Blaze Tore Through Garden In Unity Street

A family of five slept in their home unaware that just feet away a fire was raging through their back garden.

Pregnant mum Lottie Ralph was woken up by firefighters knocking on the door of their house in Sheerness in the early hours of the morning, telling her they were dealing with the blaze.

The fire swept through the family's garden in Unity Street, Sheerness — The fire swept through the family’s garden in Unity Street, Sheerness

Lottie, her partner Jeyden, and three children Isabelle, aged 13, Alikai,12, and Gabriel, 11, were in bed at the property in Unity Street at the time.

The 33-year-old art teacher believes they are lucky to be alive as fire crews, who were dealing with another fire just two streets away, were quickly on the scene.

Lottie ran out through an alleyway to see the small garden engulfed in thick smoke and her Vespa scooter and children’s playhouse had been destroyed.

Looking at the charred remains in daylight the following morning, she was shocked to see how close the flames had come to the back door.

She said: “There was a knock on the door at about 4.30am and a fireman said ‘do you know your garden is on fire?’

Jeyden, Isabelle,13, Alikai,12 , mum Lottie and Gabriel,11

“At first I didn’t believe it. I had to run out to see for myself.

“We only have a small garden and everything has gone.

“We now realise how lucky we have been.”

“We didn’t hear any sirens because they would have had to park down the road.”

Crews had been called to nearby Winstanley Road, just 200 yards away, where an outbuilding was alight.

Both fires are being treated as suspicious and are being investigated.

The two fires are being treated as suspicious

Lottie's Vespa scooter was destroyed in the fire — Lottie’s Vespa scooter was destroyed in the fire

Lottie, who is 18 weeks pregnant, said: “If the fire brigade had not just been around the corner it could have been another story.

“At first I was in shock. Now it has really hit me. We had three children in bed as well as two cats and a dog.”

A spokeswoman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) said: “We were called to reports of a shed on fire in Unity Street, Sheerness just after 4am on Sunday, January 19. One fire engine attended and crews used hose reel jets to extinguish the flames.

“There were no reported injuries and the cause is not yet known but is being treated as suspicious.”

KFRS said the incident was under control by 5am.

Three crews were sent to the outbuilding fire in Winstanley Road, which the brigade believe was also started deliberately.