Teenager had to flee Ashington house blaze

Posted by The Journal on Nov 7, 09 12:33 PM in News

Yobs left a teenager lucky to be alive after a firework set off a blaze in his house. The incident was one of a number of attacks on properties in Ariel Street, Ashington, on Thursday night.

Pranksters first put fireworks into two wheelie bins that were standing in the back yard of an end terraced house, at around 11.15pm. The bins had been up against the back wall but fire from them then spread to the house's kitchen window.

Heat from the flames melted the UPVC frame and cracked the glass, filling the house with smoke.

Teenager Nathan Pearay had been inside the house asleep on the settee at the time, but was woken by a passer-by who had spotted the burning bins and banged loudly on the window.

The 16-year-old Ashington High School student immediately called his mother Amanda, 35, who had been at the New Premier Club, in Woodhorn Road, with husband Greg, 37.

The couple rushed home and found the kitchen window had been completely destroyed and their home was full of smoke.

Angry and upset, barmaid Amanda, who is also mother to Greg, 17, and Aaron, 14, said: "Nathan had called me to say that one of the bins was on fire, so I came straight home thinking it wouldn't be that bad. I thought it would be easy enough to put out ourselves.

"But when I got home, I couldn't believe it. The house was filled with smoke.

"My husband was doing a pool tournament at the club and my youngest son was staying at his grandma's house, just down the road, so Nathan was the only one in at the time.

"I am just absolutely disgusted. At the end of the day it could have been a lot worse. I don't think they realise that they could have killed someone. It is just so upsetting.

"The smoke alarms were going off, but Nathan slept through them. He is fine now, but I am furious. I am just so grateful that someone was walking past at the time and managed to wake him up."

Just over an hour later, at 12.40am yesterday, five people were taken to hospital after pranksters struck on the street again.

Fireworks were this time ignited and shoved into a detached garage, setting fire to a large pile of rubbish that had been stored inside.

Smoke from the blaze flooded the house and the residents were taken to hospital as a precaution and treated for smoke inhalation.

No one was seriously hurt in either of the incidents, both of which took place on Bonfire Night. Firefighters from Ashington station attended both incidents and extinguished the blazes.

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