Fire Devastation Starts to Sink In
BY DI SNEDDON
When Steve Honey’s daughter, Stevie-Lee set up a go fund me page to support him after he lost every possession in a house fire in Singleton in October, he was furious.
This proud father of six didn’t want charity, never needed it before and thought he could cope. He can’t and the reality of the fire that destroyed the Hobden Close home he rented from Megan Worth is only just starting to sink in.
The video taken of the interior of the home shows the fire’s destruction. Doors charcoaled to the core, and you know if you touched them, they would simply disintegrate. Amongst the footage is the charred remains of furniture, children’s toys, clothing, electrical goods, kitchen wares, just everything Steve and daughter Teniesha owned. At the time the roof over their head was also home to Teniesha’s boyfriend, Bryson.
It was a place where Steve could have weekend access visits with his two youngest children where they had their own bedroom and loads of toys. Now all that is gone.
Steve had only been renting the home for five months, most of the furniture was new and unfortunately, uninsured. It was something he had only considered days before the fire but was otherwise preoccupied with life and didn’t do it.
Friend and firefighter, Joe Adamthwaite, managed to salvage the most valuable possession inside that home after the blaze had been calmed. Steve’s mother died earlier this year and it was Steve’s mother’s ashes that Joe could place back into Steven’s hand.
Those ashes almost cost Bryson his life. He was the only person home at the time the fire started. Teniesha and Bryson had been talking on the phone while she was on her way to work at the Maison Dieu takeaway. She had only just washed her hands and served one customer when her phone rang. She ignored it but it rang again and again. Teniesha finally took Bryson’s call, realising it was important and was told the news the house was on fire.
“I’m not joking, I’m not joking, the whole house is on fire,” Bryson said, and Teniesha immediately headed to what would be left of her home.
On driving into Bridgman Road, she could see the black smoke coming from the vicinity of her home and her heart sank.
After battling heavy traffic and many curious onlookers blocking her path, Teniesha finally arrived on scene. Neighbours told her they stopped Bryson from trying to get inside but this did not comfort the young man.
“He was incredibly upset, he tried to get inside and all he could say was ‘Nanna’s Ashes’.”
For now, Steve is staying with friends, but it isn’t what he wants. He wants a roof he can put over his children’s heads and have those much-wanted access visits with his youngest children.
Teniesha is staying with her boyfriend’s family and that is hard too with this young girl and her father sharing a very special bond that for now, is broken because they no longer live under the same roof.
Steve is grateful no one was hurt. Teniesha and Bryson are grateful to receive emergency care packs from Singleton Neighbourhood Centre, Teniesha commenting that the consideration of items in those packs was extremely thoughtful.
But considering the loss, it doesn’t come close to providing the help they need.
Most of all they need understanding and love and more.
Steve visits the site of his burnt home every day in an effort to try and understand what happened.
For now, he can’t understand how or why but as stated earlier, he is coming to terms with the loss and the sad reality he faces.
If you can, and only if you can, consider supporting this local family to get their lives back on track.
You can use the QR code on this story to go directly to the go fund me page and offer financial support.
Yes, no one was injured physically, but the emotional damage of this destructive fire will take a lifetime to heal.