11-year-old Curtis Grief ran back into the burning home he had escaped from when his mother realised that one of her children was still inside.
Recalling the horrifying incident to The Daily Post about the moment she discovered a fire in her son’s downstairs bedroom, mum-of-eight Anne-Marie said: “I was sat in the dining room with my 15-year-old daughter, Caitlin and was about to put my baby to bed when I noticed a smell like burning paper."
“I went to see where it was coming from and that’s when I noticed an orange glow coming from beneath the boy’s downstairs bedroom door. I opened the door and saw the bed was ablaze and so I screamed for everyone to get out. Thankfully, no one was in the bedroom at the time.”
However, it wasn’t until after she did a quick check of her family did she realise that one of her daughters was still inside. And when Curtis, who has ADHD and no awareness of danger, realised that his sister was missing, he immediately ran back inside.
“He’d got as far as the stairs before he started coughing, I pulled him back and told him to wait outside. The fire was raging and I honestly don’t know where I got the strength, but all I kept thinking was: that’s my baby up there,” his 40-year-old mum said.
Anne-Marie was treated for burns to her hands as well as smoke inhalation along with six of her children.
“A fireman came to see us in hospital and he told me we are one lucky family and had we been asleep, we would’ve all come out in body bags. I can’t stop thinking about that, I’ve not been able to sleep since with nightmares and all I can hear is Ella crying,” she added.
Our thoughts are with the family at this horrific time.
