A WOMAN has spoken of her relief at finding out that her son had escaped a fire which tore through their home.

The fire completely destroyed the living room and caused extensive damage to other parts of the property.

Despite seeing the contents of her living room turned to ash during the blaze, a woman who lives in the house at Oak Crescent said her first thoughts were sheer relief that no harm had come to her 17-year-old son, who was in the property when the fire started on Tuesday evening.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said her son had been in the kitchen when he noticed the fire had broken out.

“He went in and tried to put it out but quickly realised that it was too much for him and called the fire brigade,” she said.

Two pumps from Malvern and one from Worcester rushed to the scene and brought the blaze under control.

They managed to keep the flames contained to the living room but there has also been severe smoke damage throughout the rest of the property.

“I was on my way home from work when my son rang me,” the woman added. “When I got home I found the street cordoned off and could smell the burning coming down the road.

“When my son called, despite being told that my house was on fire there was a huge sense of relief in knowing that he was outside and safe.

“Possessions are just possessions. The main thing is that no-one was hurt.”

The son was checked over by paramedics at the scene and the family have been receiving support from the Red Cross Fire and Emergency Support Service.

“They turned up with a camper van so that we had somewhere to sit and they gave us cups of tea, toothbrushes and little things like that,” she said. “They have put me in touch with a volunteer who knows all about insurance and the service from both them and the fire service has been fantastic.”

Firefighters even managed to salvage two prized family photo albums as well as a box of important paperwork from the wreckage of the living room.

The family, who are currently staying with friends, have been told it is likely to be six months before they can return to the rented property.

Group commander Grant Wills, from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Crews arrived at the address to find a well-developed fire in the ground floor living room and flames coming from the window.

“The fire was quickly extinguished but it caused severe damage throughout the property.”

The cause of the fire is not yet known.