Watch: 44 Years Up In Flames – Sliema Pensioners Recount Horror Of Sudden Fire And Appeal For Help
In the blink of an eye, the lives of pensioners Peter and Tonia Vella were turned upside down.
Late at night last week, a fire broke out in the Sliema house that has been their home for the past 44 years, causing extensive structural damage, killing two of their pets and destroying several appliances.
And they are aware that it could have been much worse.
In an interview with Lovin Malta from their son’s home, where they are currently living, Tonia said she was sleeping in another bedroom that night since she was recovering from the flu.
Late at night, she heard the sound of wood cracking from above and initially assumed that her son – who lives next door and has a connecting door to his parents’ rooftop – was picking up a plank of wood.
However, when she entered the main bedroom and opened the door leading to the upper floor, she was engulfed in a cloud of smoke.
She woke up her husband, who rushed upstairs and discovered that a fire had broken out in the washroom.
“Thank God for Tonia, because if she hadn’t woken me up, I would have died too due to all the smoke,” Peter said.
One of their cats ran out as soon as he opened the washroom door but the second one unfortunately perished in the flames.
“He was blind and couldn’t find the exit,” Peter explained sadly.
Peter with Prince, who managed to survive the fire
Peter’s attention immediately turned to his five Chihuahuas who were stranded on the rooftop right next to the washroom. He thankfully managed to rescue them all, but his parrot unfortunately died due to smoke inhalation.
As Tonia called for a fire engine, Peter tried using fire extinguishers to calm the flames as his son battled them with a hosepipe from his roof. However, the flames were too strong.
While they suspect that the fire might have originated from a short-circuited fan that they had kept on to cool down the cats, they aren’t certain.
And although the CPD managed to put out the flames, the Vellas’ home suffered extensive damage. The walls are blackened and the roof is in a dangerous state.
Peter is particularly concerned that it could collapse during a storm and penetrate the lower levels, which are being kept up by old wooden beams.
Moreover, they lost an entire bathroom, a twin tub, a computer, a laptop, carpets, sheets pillow, and Peter’s DVD collection.
“It saddens me that we work so hard and strive to live in a house like that, only to be left with almost nothing and forced to start over,” a tearful Tonia said.
“Our minds are blank and we don’t even know where to start. Without people’s help we will have nothing.”
People wishing to help the Vellas are invited to do so through Revolut on 77989254.
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