‘I watched ten years of my children’s lives go up in flames': 'Traumatised' Paulsgrove mum of five launches fundraiser to find family new home after they 'lost everything' in bedroom fire

Bonnie Ordish and her family are picking up the pieces after their house in Chedworth Crescent, Paulsgrove, went up in flames.

The 34-year-old has launched a fundraiser to get enough money for private accommodation – as the wait for a new address is six months – and to care for her kids.

She told The News: ‘I watched 10 years of my children’s lives go up in flames.

‘We’ve had so many memories there, so it was heart-breaking.

‘I felt my soul get destroyed as I sat there and watched it.

‘I’m trying not to think about it. I lost everything,

‘Everything that was sentimental to me has gone, losing my house is horrible, but losing all the sentimental things that I’ll never get again has destroyed my heart and soul.

‘I watched my daughters begging to help get their pets and stuff out, and I couldn’t do it. I feel like I failed them and let them down.’

Ms Ordish added her baby son’s first belongings, and two teddies which her youngest daughters had since they were born, were among the items destroyed.

The fire started on August 6 after a candle was knocked over by the pet cat in one of her daughter’s bedrooms.

Smoke alarms did not go off until the door was opened, despite being deemed fully functional by firefighters.

The family escaped, with Ms Ordish trying to return to save the pets but was pulled out by firefighters.

‘We were all getting covered in smoke and getting burnt,’ she added.

‘I got several burns while trying to stop it, and rescue the animals.’

The blaze was contained to one room, but Ms Ordish said the smoke and water damage to the rest of the property has made it ‘unliveable’, with repairs expected to take at least a year.

A pet bird died in the inferno, and the pet cat escaped through the front door.

The fate of the family rabbit remains uncertain, after firefighters declaring the hare dead but Portsmouth City Council (PCC) said they were missing.

Tyrone, an 11-year-old Rottweiler, was left ‘traumatised’ after seeing the fire from the back garden,

‘He’s not all bouncy and cheerful like he was, he’s now sad and doesn’t get excited when he sees us anymore,’ Ms Ordish added.

The family are all now living in Ms Ordish’s dad’s living room; on sofas, airbeds and the floor. Her her four-month-old baby son sleeps in a cot.

SEE ALSO: Drone footage shows scale of 'horrific' Paulsgrove fire

PCC officials have put the family on the housing list at the highest priority, but the wait is six months.

Ms Ordish cannot work, as she has to look after her kids and handle her post traumatic stress disorder and depression diagnoses after an emergency C section following her son’s birth.

Despite clothing and monetary donations, the future for the family remains uncertain.

‘I don’t know what I’m going to do,’ Ms Ordish said.

‘We’re all safe, but we’re a bit traumatised from the fire and losing animals and everything we own.

‘If I can’t raise the funds, and I can’t stay at my dad’s house, then I’ll have nowhere to live.’

To donate see www.gofundme.com/v/c/fxyl/help-towards-moving-to-a-new-home