Telika Heron ‘heartbroken’ after Adelaide family loses everything in Seaton house fire weeks before Christmas

A single mum and her children were just getting ready to go to the beach last weekend when a life-changing disaster struck.

A single mother and her six children have been left with nothing but the clothes on their backs after their home was destroyed in a fire last weekend.

The Seaton family had been planning to go to the beach when the fire started, engulfing their home in flames within minutes.

“I went outside to have a smoke but I could smell something funny then I heard a bang,” mum Telika Heron said.

“I was thinking, what’s that smell? And then heard another bang and the smell got stronger and then there was a third bang and the flames came through the laundry.

“It was so scary and heartbreaking to be in it and see our home destroyed.”

The fire ripped through their Seaton home last weekend. Picture: Supplied

Thanks to her two brothers who were visiting at the time, Ms Heron was able to get all of her kids and pets out of the house quickly.

However her oldest son, Myles, 13, was in the toilet at the back of the house where the fire had started.

With all exits blocked, Ms Heron and Miles were trapped in the backyard.

“I was shaking, I was crying, my big son was terrified,” she said.

“I wet the grass around us to keep the flames where it was so it didn’t come anywhere near us.

“If it wasn’t for my brother kicking the back gate open so we could run through, we would have been stuck there.”

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined but has been declared “unsuspicious” by investigators, she said.

While everyone made it out safely, the family are now struggling with the loss of their home so close to Christmas.

“I don’t even want to think about Christmas (...) I had presents for the kids in the roof,” she said.

“My older children, all they want for Christmas is a house they can call home again because they’ve seen theirs fall apart.”

Telika and her family now have to rebuild their lives from scratch. Picture: Emma Brasier

A spokesperson for SA Housing Trust told The Advertiser that they were working with other agencies to support Ms Heron and her children.

“We are aware of the fire, and we provided Ms Heron and her children with two nights in emergency accommodation,” they said.

“Currently she is staying in accommodation provided by a non-government organisation support service.

“We routinely work with families to assist them with accommodation in circumstances such as these.”

A GoFundMe page has been started on Ms Heron’s behalf to raise funds to help her “recover and rebuild her life.”

“I’m not a person to ask for anything (...) it’s been very overwhelming, people are so generous,” she said.

“I appreciate my family and my community for stepping in and helping because it’s been hard honestly.

“I’m so grateful for everything that’s been done to help me and my children.”

You can donate, here.

Originally published as Telika Heron ‘heartbroken’ after Adelaide family loses everything in Seaton house fire weeks before Christmas