Medlow family’s Broadview home goes up in flames as friends and family rally together
A Broadview mother has recounted how her neighbour saved her family from “disaster” moments before a lithium ion battery ignited their home.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A Broadview mother was saved by her quick-thinking neighbour who woke her family early on Sunday morning, moments before a fire tore through their home.
“It could’ve been a disaster for us if she hadn’t woken us up,” Gabby Medlow told The Advertiser.
Fire Cause Investigators determined the March 2nd fire was caused by an electrical fault in the Medlow’s carport which quickly ignited lithium ion batteries, eventually destroying the family’s Broadview home.
Ms Medlow said she was lucky her neighbour woke her up before the smoke alarms were activated.
“My neighbour bashed on the door at 4.25am, she woke us up and we ran out — we were out before the smoke alarms,” she said.
Fortunately for Gabby, 47, and Brad, 46, their 12-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son were not home at the time.
“The kids were at (separate) sleepovers — we were pretty lucky they weren’t home and didn’t have to experience the trauma of evacuating and witnessing their house burning,” Ms Medlow said.
Another stroke of luck was that their staffy Barry survived the flames.
“We called him and he ran out — we had to scream for him to come out.”
Ms Medlow praised the emergency services for their response to her family’s most traumatic experience.
“They were all so lovely and reassuring — we can’t thank them enough,” she said.
The Medlow family will live in temporary accommodation for the next 12-15 months while their home is rebuilt through their insurer.
“We managed to secure something close to our old home — it’s not a house but it’s a roof over our heads,” she said.
But the real cost of the damage exceeds their insurance, leading Ms Medlow to warn other families to check their coverage.
“We think our contents insurance was unfortunately underinsured.
“Please check your contents insurance and update it regularly.
“You never know — we never thought it could happen to us.”
Ms Medlow’s sister Regan Gardner has established a GoFundMe to assist the family with rebuilding their life.
“They are insured, but it doesn’t come close to what they lost,” Ms Gardner wrote.
“They will have a long road ahead to rebuild their home and life.”
Ms Medlow said she was “overwhelmed” by the generous support of friends, family and neighbours.
“We’re not people who stick our hands out, so it’s been difficult to come to terms with this,” she said.
“We can’t begin to say how much it has helped and it is taking some of the weight off our shoulders in these early days.
“Thank you just doesn’t seem to sum up how grateful we are.”
Donations can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/medlow-family-house-fire.
More Coverage
Originally published as Medlow family’s Broadview home goes up in flames as friends and family rally together
Residents flee, duo charged after eastern suburbs unit goes up in flames
A fire that caused the evacuation of residents is believed to have been deliberately lit – and police have charged two people with arson and serious criminal trespass.
‘Brain surgeons charge less’: Customer’s fury over tradie costs
Customers have come forward accusing Metropolitan Plumbing and Electricity and its partner companies of routinely overcharging, often without resolving the issue.