Devastated Southsea man loses £15,000 and left homeless after firework nosedives into bedroom window
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Ejiroghene (Edge) Igbigbi was left homeless, suffering mental trauma and with hardly any possessions after losing over £15,000 worth of goods along with sentimental items following the blast on the first floor flat on Hester Road, Eastney.
The 49-year-old carer returned home from work around 9pm on New Year’s Eve to the ‘horror’ discovery that his bedroom on the shared first floor flat was alight after a firework was let off from a nearby residence.
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Hide AdTwo of the ‘shaken’ tenants managed to escape the blaze after curtains in the rear bedroom caught fire as firefighters from Southsea, Cosham and Portchester - with a command support unit - battled the inferno for over two hours.
Flames could be seen burning Edge’s bedroom before a sudden blast saw the window drop onto the garden below. Only a fire door stopped the blaze spreading to the rest of the apartment and avoided the rest of the street being ‘bombed out’.
All the tenants were left homeless with the property initially uninhabitable. Only the kindness of strangers helped prop them up as neighbours rallied and gave them somewhere to stay before they were able to return later this month.
Edge, who has forged a new life after coming to the UK from Nigeria, lost a television, laptops, an iPad and several phones, as well as family pictures, documents and sentimental family items from Africa.
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Hide AdBut his devastation was compounded when he found out the landlord’s insurance on the flat did not cover him.
‘I’ve lost £15,000 worth of goods minimum,’ Edge said. ‘But you can’t put a value on the emotional trauma. How can I tell my family that all these belongings are ruined?
‘It’s still very hard for me. I am cleaning stuff but most things are ruined including my clothes and suits which have smoke damage. All the receipts I had are all burnt.
‘I try not to get upset but it is very upsetting and makes me angry. I now get panic attacks which I’ve never had in my life. I hear noises and think there is a fire. I now take medication from the doctor.’
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Hide AdDespite the impact, Edge says the fire could have wreaked more destruction but for his bedroom having a fire door.
‘You don’t want to imagine what would have happened...people would be dead,’ he said. ‘The fire door saved the whole house and stopped it spreading and bombing the whole street.’
Edge, who has employed a solicitor as he seeks compensation for his losses, is currently living in a basement room in the apartment with his former bedroom still in a ‘bad condition’.
After being put up by neighbours, he said: ‘It was a miraculous thing. They were very nice people.’
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Hide AdSimi Denloye, 32, was one of two tenant’s in the flat when the fire broke out. ‘My flatmate said he saw smoke and shouted “fire”. We just ran out of the front door,’ he said.
‘We were panicking but it could have been worse. If someone had opened Edge’s door it could have caused an explosion.’
Roisin Barnard and her partner let Simi stay with them after the fire. She said: ‘It was a bad fire. It was lucky they got out. Edge was left with nothing after everything was burnt. It is very sad.
‘The chances a firework would come through a window like that are very slim.’
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Hide AdA Southsea firefighter who attended the incident said earlier this month: ‘This was a purely accidental freak incident but people setting off fireworks should think about their actions.’
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