House fire victims need emergency accommodation

The family only have the clothes on their backs and old passports.

HILL STREET FIRE Ariana Manuel, Wiremu Manuel and Charlene Manuel. Picture: Meg Bolton

IN 24 hours, a family of 10 will become homeless after their Gatton home was gutted by fire early Wednesday morning.

The family, including extended family members who were visiting for a celebration, lost everything and have been staying with relatives in Grantham - but need to find somewhere else to stay by Friday.

Fire victim Charlene Manuel has contacted multiple support organisations and tried to speak to social workers at the hospital, but has received next to no help.

"If my sister-in-law wasn't here for me to go to I don't know what would happen, I might still be here (outside my house) because no one has actually come to us," Ms Manuel said.

"I just don't know what to do or how to do it."

HILL STREET FIRE Wiremu Manuel and Charlene Manuel. Picture: Meg Bolton

The family escaped with nothing except the clothes they were wearing and a bag of expired passports.

With no valid form of identification, the family are unable to access their bank accounts and as a result, have no money.

"The bank said, can you prove that it's your house (that burnt down in the fire)," Ms Manuel said.

It's a living nightmare for the mother and grandmother who continue to have flashbacks of the fire.

"Last night, all I could hear was my grandchildren screaming, I can still hear this, I can hear my daughter yelling, she can't find the door and my older daughter yelling where's my baby," Ms Manuel said.

HILL STREET FIRE Ariana Manuel, Wiremu Manuel and Charlene Manuel. Picture: Meg Bolton

Ms Manuel's father, daughter and two grandchildren were all visiting Gatton to celebrate her 18-year-old's birthday but they also lost everything in the fire.

"We really need support to get my daughter home to Sydney and to get my father to try and get passports for him and my nephew to return back to NZ," she said.

Ms Manuel's elderly father is a type one diabetic and is blind in one eye. He nearly didn't make it out of the fire.

Ms Manuel's 10-year-old granddaughter sustained burns in her mouth, nose and on her leg.

Her five-month-old granddaughter and elderly father were also treated for burns.

HILL STREET FIRE. Picture: Meg Bolton

"They (the hospital) treated him ... and told us we needed to sort something out for today because they couldn't help," Ms Manuel said.

His medication cost $330, which Ms Manuel had to borrow from her sister-in-law.

"I lost everything. There's still nothing for us to even have showers," she said.

The family are also trying to find emergency accommodation for their two cats.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are continuing.

*The Gatton Star Office is presently accepting donations for the family at 45 North Street Gatton, and is open from 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Originally published as House fire victims need emergency accommodation