Leyland teens wake up to burning home after tumble dryer catches fire

Dylan Painter, 15, and his 13-year-old sister Reigan had to act fast when a tumble dryer burst into flames inside their Leyland Lane home shortly after 7am.

The siblings, who attend Leyland St Mary's Catholic High School, had been preparing for school when Dylan noticed a burning smell reaching his bedroom.

On the landing outside his room, Dylan found the family's tumble dryer on fire.

The 15-year-old quickly alerted his younger sister, who was just waking up in her room down the hall, and the pair made a swift escape to the street outside.

With no phones on them, Reigan immediately waved down a woman in a passing car who stopped and called 999.

Their mum, Anne-Marie Stockton - who had left home a short time earlier to attend college - said the family have "lost everything in the fire".

After answering the call from her frantic children, Anne-Marie got off the bus and was picked up by a family friend who rushed her home to her stunned children.

Outside her fire-wrecked home, which she has lived in since 2019, a shaken-up Anne-Marie was being supported by friends and neighbours, whilst fire crews continued to check the home for heat-spots.

She said: "The tumble dryer is only 6 months old, it was brand new. I just can't believe what's happened.

"When I got that call my heart stopped. Even though I knew the kids were alright, I was worried to death about my pets, our cat and hamster.

"But they're both OK, thank God. I'm just in total shock. I loved this home too. We've been here three years and we've loved living here, our neighbours are so nice.

"I just keep thinking, what if Dylan and Reigan hadn't woken up when they did for school? They could have been trapped in their rooms!

"My head's spinning. You just don't expect this to happen with a new dryer like that."

Fire crews from Leyland, Penwortham, Chorley and Bamber Bridge were on the scene in minutes and quickly extinguished the fire whilst police closed the road.

The home has suffered extensive damage on its first-floor and their landlord, New Lease Residential Lettings, is moving the family into temporary accommodation today.

Anne-Marie said she returned home to find it a complete wreck, with the first-floor ceiling pulled down by fire crews to ensure flames had not spread to the roof. Firefighters at the scene said this was needed to prevent the fire from spreading to adjoining homes in the terrace.

Leyland Lane was closed between the Tesco Express store and Fairhaven Road before it was reopened at around 11am.

Friends and neighbours are now rallying together to raise funds for the family, who have lost most of their clothes, shoes and other possessions in the fire.

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