THE family of a grandmother whose home was destroyed in a fire have thanked local people for their support.

Pat Ellam was rescued unconscious from her house in Hambleton Road, Norton, by two neighbours.

Her granddaughter, Simone Stone, and daughter, Tessa Shipley, launched an appeal to raise funds to help clear out the house and help replace Pat’s belongings.

Simone said: “Nana has been moved off the high dependency unit at York Hospital and is now on her own ward.

“She is talking away as usual and starting to eat food again.

“She can also walk little steps too but we are still not sure when she can come out.”

Tessa said they were now concentrating on salvaging what they could from her mum’s home and trying to empty the house.

“The staff at the One Stop shop in Norton, where mum used to work, have held a collection and from that we have been able to hire a skip,” she added.

“We are also aiming to hire another skip from the money raised online as there is so much to clear out.”

Tessa said: “There is some furniture left upstairs but pretty much everything else is just a pile of charcoal.

“Mum has lived here for over 25 years and now she has nothing left.”

The fire broke out at about 6pm on Sunday, March 18. Pat’s neighbours Phil and Ocean Burdett pulled her out of the property after smashing down the front door.

All three were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation.

Phil and Ocean were released in the early hours of the following morning. The cause of the fire is understood to be accidental.

Tessa said: “We are now trying to clear the house out as much as we can before we decide what we do next.

“Obviously mum hasn’t seen the house yet and she is still a bit confused after being in hospital for three weeks.

“All she can remember is being upstairs and smelling smoke. She came downstairs but couldn’t see anything because of the smoke and then passed out.”

Tessa added: “We really appreciate the support we have had, particularly from everyone at One Stop who have been fantastic and also everyone who has donated online.”

Anyone who would like to help can do so at the One Stop shop in Norton or go to gofundme.com/

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