Beverley mum tells how hoverboard battery fire destroyed family home

Louise Evans thanked the community in Beverley for its support

An East Yorkshire mother has told how her family lost everything after a hoverboard battery caught fire.

Louise Evans, from Beverley, along with her two children, aged 11 and nine, watched helplessly as the blaze took hold on Saturday.

An investigation by Humberside Fire and Rescue Service revealed a battery caught fire as it was being charged.

Showing BBC Look North around the property, she said: "There was nothing we could do but watch everything burn."

Ms Evans said she was "just grateful we're all out, that we're all safe".

She added: "It was like an out-of-body experience. You're just looking at it like it's someone else's house. Like it's a dream."

Ms Evans and her children have had to find somewhere else to live

She said the property was fitted with a working smoke alarm, which firefighters said probably prevented a tragedy.

Station manager Glyn Dixon said firefighters arrived to find "a fully involved fire" at the back of the property.

Mr Dixon, also a fire investigator, added: "Sometimes things fail. There's a lot of lithium ion products out there, they're on the rise."

He advised people not to charge items such as hoverboards on "exit routes", which could hinder escapes in the event of a fire.

"Have it in a room with the door closed to prevent the fire spreading," Mr Dixon said, before reiterating the importance of having a functioning fire alarm.

The fire has left Louise Evans's home in ruins

Meanwhile, the community is supporting Ms Evans and her family until her insurance company pays out.

She said: "People I don't even know are giving lots of money into my JustGiving account so that we're able to find somewhere to live.

"I'm going to pay it forward, so all the kindness, all the money, will be paid forward in some way in the future."