Bell Park family left with nothing after fire rips through Deakin St home

A Bell Park family escaped with only the clothes on their back after fire ripped through their home earlier this month.

Lou Warner and her family escaped with just the clothes on their back after fire ripped through their Bell Park home earlier this month.

A Bell Park family escaped with just the clothes on their backs after fire ripped through their home earlier this month.

Lou Warner was getting ready for the day on September 1 when her 77-year-old mother, Rachel Satour, noticed smoke coming from Ms Warner’s daughter’s bedroom.

“I opened the door and the room was black,” she said.

“I couldn’t see through the thick of the smoke.”

Lou Warner and her family escaped with just the clothes on their back after fire ripped through their Bell Park home on September 1.

The fire, at their Deakin St home, was caused by an electrical fault and Ms Warner said the thick smoke had a chemical smell.

“I asked my mum if we had a fire extinguisher and we didn’t,” Ms Warner said.

“I remember ringing triple-0 and just screaming.

“By the time we got to the front door, the smoke was right behind us and we got out just in time.”

The mother of four said her next-door neighbour was reversing out of her driveway and saw flames coming from the back of house.

Ms Warner called her partner and when he arrived at the home, he ran to grab their dog, Lexie, who was hiding under the house.

“We left with just the clothes on our back, I had no shoes,” she said.

“You see this on the news, but you never think it’s going to happen to you.

Lou Warner and her mother Rachel Satour. Picture: Supplied

Ms Warner recently quit her job as a social worker and was applying for other roles within the field.

“So to make it worse, I don’t have a job … it was the perfect nightmare,” she said.

Ms Warner is currently couch surfing and staying with friends while she looks for work to rebuild her family’s life.

Her mother, who lived at the home, is living with friends in Werribee and her children are also staying with friends.

“We’re in flight or flight and survival mode,” she said.

Ms Warner and her family moved to Geelong seven years ago from Alice Springs.

“We came with nothing and once again, we are left with nothing, I don’t know what happened,” she said.

“It’s amazing how, in an instant, your whole life changes.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help support Ms Warner and her family rebuild their lives.

“We appreciate so much,” she said.

Ms Warner was also grateful for the help from Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative and Salvation Army as well as the emergency services at the scene, who were supportive and reassuring.

To support Ms Warner and her family, head to gofundme.com/help-warner-family-house-fire-support.

Originally published as Bell Park family left with nothing after fire rips through Deakin St home