Tragic Borehamwood house fire saw family 'lose everything'

Yewande Adigun-Ariyo, her husband and three adult children have been left homeless after the blaze ripped through their house in Manor Way, Borehamwood, on January 4.

The 59-year-old described how her daughter had opened the door to her room just after midnight to discover it was ablaze, before shouting to wake up the rest of the family.

Yewande Adigun-Ariyo with 2.0 (Image: Yewande Adigun-Ariyo)

They ran to the bathroom to dampen towels but the flames began to spread very quickly once the door was opened and by the time they returned "the whole room was gone”.

Running out in a panic, they escaped with only the clothes they were wearing. Their “adorable” cat, named 2.0, died in the blaze.

Three fire engines worked to put out the fire as it began to spread to neighbouring properties, before it was fully contained at around 1.10am.

The cause was recorded as accidental, Herts Fire and Rescue have confirmed.

The fire-damaged home in Manor Way, Borehamwood (Image: Yewande Adigun-Ariyo)

It was later discovered that the home insurance for the property, where they had lived for 22 years, had not been successfully renewed. Yewande apparently spent days looking for the policy and had felt certain she had gone through the renewal process.

Friends have since set up a fundraiser titled ‘a fresh start for the Ariyo family after a tragic fire’, which has garnered £1,539 of a £2,000 goal so far.

"The Ariyo family escaped with their lives, but nothing else," the GoFundMe page says. "This is a time for compassion and community.

"Any donation, no matter the size, will help ease the burden and remind the Ariyo family that they are not alone."

The fire-damaged home in Manor Way, Borehamwood (Image: Yewande Adigun-Ariyo)

Yewande, who works for a local authority, said her family are “scattered” in temporary arrangements around the country and now looking to start again from scratch after the “shock".

Firefighters have said nothing inside the property is likely to have survived and Yewande says she has "not had the courage to even look”.

Currently living in a guest house in Hemel Hempstead, she said: “I don’t know where to start but we just hope that we can rebuild our lives.

“It’s hard to say what we can do from here.”

Fire damage to the home's interior (Image: Yewande Adigun-Ariyo)

She expressed her gratitude towards those who have supported the fundraiser, which will go towards getting them back on their feet.

“It’s been overwhelming,” she said. “You don’t even think that people care, but they do.”