A family from Northern Ireland have “lost everything” after their home was destroyed in a fire on Christmas Day.
Colette McErlean and her son’s Oisin and Conleth in Maghera, Co Derry, were woken on Christmas Day by fire alarms going off in their home, giving them just enough time to escape before the house was engulfed in flames.
The family had lost two members of the family over the years, their father/husband Joe and son/brother Paddy who died at the age of 14 in a quad bike accident, with their home being full of pictures and memories of them which have now been destroyed.
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An appeal has been launched by Ellen Crozier, the partner of Oisin, in order to help the family recover from the tragedy with it gaining widespread support with nearly £60,000 being raised in under 24 hours.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Ellen said that the response to the appeal has given the family a small glimmer of hope as they look to rebuild their lives.
She said: “Everyone was in bed on Christmas morning when they were awoken by fire alarms going off and they quickly managed to get outside of the house before it completely went up in flames.
“While we are thankful that nobody was hurt, they have all lost everything. The family has suffered a lot of heartbreak over the years, losing their father and brother, and their beautiful house was almost like a shrine to them with pictures covering almost every wall, which have now all been destroyed.
“They don’t even have mobile phones or any identification and will need to rely on the help and support of others in order to get through the next few weeks and months as they try to rebuild their lives.
“We are just thankful that the local community and people from across Northern Ireland have rallied around them and the kindness people have shown in donating so much to them has given them some hope for the future.
“I would just like to thank everyone who has donated to the appeal so far, it really means the world to the family who have a tough road ahead of them.”
If you would like to donate to the appeal for the McErlean family you can do so via this link.
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