Donations urged after house fire destroys Rhyl home of 11 relatives

Abbi Cash-Francis, 25, and her four children (aged between five months and four) were among the 11 people in the house, a former bed and breakfast on River Street, when the blaze started due to a faulty cooker on the evening of Friday, July 15.

The 11 people were unharmed, though some were not discharged from hospital until the following morning due to smoke inhalation.

But they have lost all of their belongings as a result, and their two dogs, Harry and Bella, sadly did not survive.

Two of Abbi’s relatives; her sister, Charlotte, and her aunt, Emma, who both do not live in the house, have since set up fundraiser pages urging financial and essential item donations.

The two pages have almost raised a combined total of £2,500, while the family has also thanked the public for their kindness in donating money and essentials so far.

Abbi said: “My partner, Ashley, and brother, Matthew, were the ones who were trapped on the top floor with (children) Joseph (four) and Ellis (two), and our dogs, Harry and Bella, died in the fire.

“We are so grateful for the generosity from the whole community, especially neighbours who opened their doors to us immediately and let us use their homes until we went to hospital.”

Fire damage to the hallway. Photo: Abbi Cash-Francis

Emma added: “It (the house) is an ex-B&B in Rhyl, so it has loads of bedrooms and is really tall. A couple of them were stuck at the top, and were rescued by the fire service.

“The cooker was faulty, and that’s what caused the fire. My nephew went in to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, and it was on fire. No alarm went off; he just discovered it.

“They got everyone on the first floor out, but Abbi’s middle sons were at the top. Their dad ran up to get them, as well as my nephew, and then the fire brigade got them out from the top.

“The two dogs didn’t make it, bless them, but they’re all physically OK.

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“Everybody has donated so much stuff, which is really kind of them. They didn’t have a thing.

“It looks as though they’re going to rent from someone a couple of streets down, so they’ll be able to see then exactly what they need.

“They’ve got babies’ bottles and clothes at the moment; people have been so good for the children, but the older boys haven’t got any clothes whatsoever.

“We’re completely overwhelmed with the response; we’re really grateful.

“People who I don’t even know have got in touch. They’ve been extremely kind, even offering to have them stay with them until they’ve sorted. We can’t believe it.

“Saturday was so emotional, we were crying firstly because we were shocked that they survived it, then it was: ‘Oh my goodness, they’ve got nothing’, then it was because people were so good.”

A fundraiser event in aid of the family has also been organised by two of Abbi’s closest friends, Nathan Boardman and Kaylea Mason.

This is to take place at The Swan Inn, on Russell Road, on Saturday (July 23) at 1pm.

Charging a £1 entry fee, the event includes an auction, live entertainment for adults and children, and a raffle with such prizes as pink and lemon gin, a voucher for Torello Lounge in Prestatyn, and much more.

You can donate to the fundraiser pages at: www.gofundme.com/f/my-familys-home-burned-down-anything-helps and www.gofundme.com/f/house-fire-left-family-with-nothing-at-all.

For more on Saturday’s fundraiser event, go to: www.facebook.com/events/s/family-in-need/731685581403341.