A mother and her four daughters are homeless today after a blaze destroyed their house.
Rebecca Cole, 13, managed to escape the fire before it gutted the family's home in Cagefield Road, Great Stambridge.
Gutted - firefighters discuss the situation after putting out the flames Picture: TERENCE BUNCH
Her mother Helen Cole and Rebecca's three sisters Madison, 15, Tyne, 11 and Ali, 10, were out as the flames took hold.
The house had a smoke alarm - which did not have batteries.
Mrs Cole, a full-time mum said: "We have lost everything we own. We're staying at my dad's nearby until something else is sorted because the house is gutted."
Firefighters from Leigh, Hadleigh and Southend were held back by the intense heat and smoke as they tried to battle the blaze.
It took 16 officers 30 minutes to bring the fire under control. Barry May, station officer at Southend, said the family had a lucky escape.
He said: "This was a very fierce fire. The house is completely gutted and the family have lost everything."
Fire investigators are sifting through charred debris to find out what started the blaze.
Officers emphasised the importance of having a working smoke alarm and knocked on neighbours' doors to check they had detectors.
Published Monday, August 4, 2003
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