Walsall family of six escape severe house fire
Six family members managed to escape a severe house fire which devastated their Walsall home.
The fire happened at around 11pm yeserday in Dilloways Lane, Willenhall.
A man and woman, who are believed to be brother and sister, and her four children aged from 11-months-old to nine, managed to escape the house before the flames took hold in the kitchen of their terraced house.
The family were assessed by paramedics at the scene but were not taken to hospital.
Fire crews from Bilston, Fallings Park and Willenhall attended the scene.
A total of four fire appliances, 18 fire fighters and a fire officer worked to control the fire and neighbours were evacuated from their homes. The final fire crew from Bilston left the scene at 2.40am.
Eileen Skitt, aged 74, and her husband John, aged 77, were told to leave their home, though they were allowed back in once the fire was put out.
Eileen said: "Thankfully the fire hasn't damaged our house, we just got quite a bit of ash and oil come through.
"We just feel terrible for the children. There's nothing left inside the house."
Steve Jones, aged 25, works in customer services and lives nearby. He said: "I was just coming home from work when I saw what was happening.
"I've only been here six months, the fire was the first time I saw most of my neighbours really. Me and another neighbour tried to have a look in to see if everyone was out the house but we couldn't see anything but black smoke."
