St Austell family devastated by electric van and house fire

The Hensby family say the blaze has left them with nothing

A family whose home was devastated by a fire they claim started in an electric van before tearing through the house say they have been left with nothing.

Julie and David Hensby, their twin girls and disabled son, escaped their home in Ruddlemoor, St Austell, Cornwall, uninjured on Monday night.

But they watched in horror as the fire "engulfed" everything they own.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the fire was believed to be accidental.

Mrs Hensby, 44, said they were now staying in a nearby Travelodge, while their housing association Ocean Housing searches for alternative accommodation for them.

The house in Ruddlemoor was severely damaged by the fire

"We have nothing, the whole house was thick with black smoke, our lightbulbs have melted, our curtains have melted," she said.

"I haven't even looked in the photo cupboard yet - that's all our memories.

"I just don't know where I'm going to go from here, we are all just exhausted, I feel like I'm on autopilot.

"We have to start from scratch."

She said the ordeal unfolded as they were preparing to go to bed at about 23.15 BST on Monday.

'Door disintegrated'

Responding to a "banging on the door", she said passers-by warned them their electric Vauxhall Vivaro was on fire and urged them to "get out quick".

Helping her nine-year-old twin girls Aimee and Summer from the house, she woke her son Jay, 15, who is disabled and deaf, to get him to safety.

The family said they watched as the fire "erupted" within 10 minutes.

"The whole van was engulfed in flames, then it just blew towards our house," Mrs Hensby said.

"The door disintegrated in minutes. Things were exploding, electric wires, everyone was screaming, neighbours were running - it was absolutely terrifying," she said.

The remains of the Vauxhall Vivaro that went up in flames

But the firefighting crews were "amazing".

"I want to thank them and the people who stopped to knock on our door, they literally saved our lives," she continued.

"We are just so grateful that everyone has rallied round and so glad we've got each other," added Mrs Henby, who said not having insurance was a "regret".

The Vauxhall Vivaro had been funded by a charity to help Jay, she said.

'Massive effect'

Of her children, she said: "They are being amazingly brave, they have been going to school and coping so well.

"It's had a massive effect, it's really scary such a small fire went up so quick.

"We are lucky to be alive and I'm so worried about it happening to other people."

The fire service said that when crews arrived they found the vehicle was "well alight", and flames had already spread to the ground and first floors of the house.

The vehicle was destroyed while "both floors and roof space" of the house were affected, it said.

A Vauxhall spokesman said: "Vauxhall takes the safety and wellbeing of its customers very seriously.

"We are working to establish the facts surrounding what we believe to be an isolated incident involving one of our vehicles."

Frances Turner, managing director of Ocean Housing housing association, said their tenants' well-being and safety was a "top priority", adding: "We are doing all we can to help them."

She said they had been liaising closely with Mr and Mrs Hensby and arranged temporary hotel accommodation while they work to find another property for them to live in while repair work was undertaken on their "permanent home".

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