On June 19, 2026, just hours after picking up the keys for their new home in Little Neston, Cheshire, a family of three went to the house with some of their belongings to discover that it was on fire.
The cause of the fire is believed to be an electric cooker near a box. A nine-year-old girl in the street spotted the fire, and the emergency services arrived quickly to extinguish the fire. The kitchen was severely damaged by fire, which also destroyed some of the family’s possessions, including a laptop containing valuable work and personal documents. A toilet upstairs was damaged, but the house’s structure remains sound. Thankfully, the house was empty when the fire started, so no one was hurt,
Homeowner Luke Hartley said:
“On what should have been the exciting start of a new chapter in our lives, just a matter of hours after receiving the keys to our new home, a fire broke out “
Unfortunately, the family had not got around to taking out home insurance, so is faced with a large bill to renovate and repair their new home. Luke has started a GoFundMe project to raise money for the renovation and publicised his plight on social media.
This event highlights the importance of a home being covered by building and contents insurance on moving day. If using Merseyside Movers & Storers for house removals in Merseyside, we’ll help to protect all of your belongings as they arrive to your new home.
