Young mum devastated as fire rips through home on daughter's birthday

On Tuesday, August 15, Jenna McGarrie was celebrating her daughter Isla's sixth birthday with family and friends when a neighbour called to say that a fire had started at her Etherstone Street home.

After calling the fire brigade, the 30-year-old rushed home but found that the blaze had already ripped through the house, destroying most of the family's possessions, clothes, and Isla's birthday presents.

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The blaze orginiated in the kitchen (Image: Jenna McGarrie)

With smoke damage causing damage to every room in the house, Jenna's dad Gregor explained that the blaze originated in the kitchen and an investigation is currently ongoing to determine how it started.

While no one was harmed in the fire, Jenna is said to have been struggling as the blaze ruined the home, and she and Isla have temporarily moved back to her parent's house until they can find suitable accommodation.

To try and help the family rebuild their lives and buy back possessions lost in the fire, a fundraiser has been set up by Jenna's friend Beth Lally which has been a "humbling" experience due to the volume of support it has received.

The blaze caused smoke damage to every room in the house (Image: Jenna McGarrie)

Gregor said: "We don't know how the fire started, but we saw how it had devastated everything once we got to the house.

"After the fire was put out, we found that the smoke had got in every room so pretty much everything has been damaged and needs to be thrown away.

"We're usually on the other side of fundraisers where we want to help out anybody in need, so we weren't sure about it to begin with, but it has been really humbling to see so much support.

"We have had so many donations from family, friends, and even people we have helped at our driving school and not seen for years, so it's great to see the impact you can have on people and see their support when you need it."

To support the fundraiser for Jenna and Isla to help them rebuild their lives, you can visit this link.

Smoke damage to Isla's bedding, which was the furthest room from the kitchen (Image: Jenna McGarrie)