Cornish family ‘lose everything’ in devastating fire in St Austell

Julie and David woke up their three sleeping children to get them out of the house in time Credit: BPM Media

A Cornish family of five has been left devastated by a house fire.

On the night of 2 October, people driving by a house in Ruddlemoor, St Austell, noticed an electric car on fire outside a family home.

Julie and David Hensby were alerted of the fire by the strangers and rescued their three children who were sleeping before the fire service arrived at 11.15pm. 

Julie said: "If it wasn't for [those strangers] then this could have been a whole different story. 

"I got my girls out and then had to run back in to alert my disabled son of the fire."

It's thought the fire started in the electric car parked outside Credit: BPM

Jay, 15, is deaf because of brain tumour treatment, so Julie struggled to wake him up at first to get him out. 

She said: "The neighbours all had to flee their houses as the van started to catch fire to the electrical wires and there were explosions going off as the fire took hold.

"It was engulfed in flames within 10 minutes of us escaping."

Now a few days on, the family are in emergency accommodation until their home can be repaired - which could take months. 

Julie said: "We only have the clothes that we are wearing but we have lost everything in the house.

"We are devastated and don't even know where to start. I think we are still in shock and very shaken and jumping at every noise. This shouldn't have happened."

The family has lost everything Credit: BPM Media

Despite this, the family has been amazed by how kind everyone has been. 

Julie said: "The people who stopped and the neighbours were all amazing and everyone rallied around checking on each other and looking after each other.

“I am totally overwhelmed at how much we all looked out for each other.”

Julie said she’s now lost all trust with electric vehicles though. She said: "It is so dangerous and they fitted the electric charging point at the front door so when it caught fire it blocked our escape route.

“We trusted it was all safe but when this was pointed out to us we realised just how lucky we are to be alive right now.

"I will never trust an electric van again. The fire service said we were lucky the battery didn't set fire or it would have burned for hours and been very dangerous."

A GoFundMe page has been set up by a friend of the family to help them with immediate essentials.

A spokesperson for Vauxhall, who made the car, said: “Vauxhall takes the safety and wellbeing of its customers very seriously. 

"We will work with the vehicle’s owner, and its insurer, to investigate the circumstances around this incident. 

"We would kindly encourage the vehicle owner, or insurer, to contact us on 0800 0260034 in order for us to be able to support the investigation.”