Layton (7) alerts his mum and five siblings to house fire

Seven-year-old Layton saw a window cracking up at the bottom of the stairs at his house on Ridgeway, East Herringthorpe, seconds before smoke started pouring in.

The Badsley Primary School pupil alerted mum Nikki Allen, who gathered him and his five siblings up and got them safely out of the house.

But Nikki (26), who rents the three-bedroom house, fears she won’t be able to spend Christmas at home because of the extensive damage caused by the fire.

Nikki said: “I’m relieved we got out — we owe our lives to Layton.

“Thirty seconds later and we would have been gone.

“I don’t like to think what would have happened.”

Nikki said it was a normal Saturday night when Layton alerted her to the fire.

“We were sat in the living room eating pie and peas and watching The X Factor,” she said.

“Layton came in screaming at the top of his voice, saying: ‘The window is cracking’ and I went to the window at the bottom of the stairs and it was all ablaze.

“Then I had about 30 seconds to get all the kids out.”

The lean-to structure at the side of the house had caught fire and the heat had cracked the adjoining window.

When the window cracked, smoke began to pour through and left the kitchen severely damaged and the house inhabitable.

Firefighters from Rotherham, Maltby and Aston stations spent around an hour putting out the fire on Saturday, October 4.

Nikki said the firefighters believed the blaze had been caused by either a loose firework or a bonfire setting the lean-to structure alight.

“There’s no gas and electric on at the house,” she said.

“The firefighters have turned off the electric because it has melted all the electrics in the kitchen and they have turned off the gas because it’s not safe.

“There’s also no windows in the kitchen because the fire broke the glass.”

Nikki’s landlord has told her it could be weeks before she could move back in because all the fixtures and fittings needed to be replaced and new windows and doors fitted.

“I feel devastated — I have lived there for two years,” she said.

“The smell of smoke makes me feel sick.

“The children are falling asleep at school and are totally out of their routine.”

Nikki and her six children — Ellie (8), Layton (7), Gracie (4), Amber (2), Olivia (1) and six-month-old Layla had to sleep in a small living room at her sister Kimberley’s house following the fire.

They have since been given temporary accomodation in Kimberworth by Rotherham Borough Council.

She was initially offered accomodation in Dinnington but Nikki said this was unsuitable because it was too far away from school.

Nikki said she feared she would not be at home in time for Christmas.

“We want to be at home for Christmas Day,” she said.

“I don’t want to spend Christmas anywhere else.

“I just feel so upset — I want to go home and cry.”