Belfast family left with 'nothing but the clothes on their backs' after house fire

Belfast family left with 'nothing but the clothes on their backs' after house fire "They walked away with nothing but the clothes on their backs" 22:14, 16 Jul 2026 Fire breaks out in North Belfast home A North Belfast mum has been left 'absolutely gutted' after a fire destroyed her home. ‌ The blaze happened at Laura Madden's home in the Carrick Hill area on Monday afternoon, July 13, when two of her teenage sons were in the property. ‌ The family have been left 'with nothing but the clothes on their backs', and a fundraiser has been launched to help them. ‌ Speaking to about the incident, 45-year-old Laura said: "The fire alarm went off and my middle son came out and seen the smoke, so he got his younger brother out. "They ran out, but then they tried to run in to get our kittens, but lucky enough our neighbours all came and started taking the kittens out." Laura has thanked her community for the support her family has received so far. The mum-of-three said: "Everybody has been brilliant, my neighbours have been fantastic, no one left the street yesterday with me and the kids. I'm absolutely gutted." ‌ She added: "The Housing Executive only have Bangor or Lisburn for me and the kids - that's way out of the road, especially when two of them are autistic and they need to be around family. "Yesterday [Monday], I just couldn't do it because I lost my partner a few years ago to suicide, the kids' daddy. And all of his photos and all of his stuff was there and everything is just destroyed. Yesterday just wasn't the time to be going to Bangor or Lisburn. We all had to separate." ‌ Laura continued: "I just want to thank everybody in Carrick Hill for coming out and supporting me and the kids yesterday. They were amazing. "The house is just a house. You have the memories in your head. The kids are just more important than the house. I don't care about any of that just as long as they are all ok." ‌ The GoFundMe fundraiser was set up for the family by Laura's friend. It reads: "My name is Katrina, and I am reaching out to you today with a completely broken heart. This afternoon, a catastrophic fire tore through my best friend’s house. Within a matter of minutes the place they called home was entirely destroyed, leaving absolutely nothing behind but ashes and smoke. "It is hard to put into words the shock and heartbreak of watching everything you own vanish in an instant. My friend and their family managed to escape safely, thank God, but they walked away with nothing but the clothes on their backs. All of their clothes, cherished memories, electronics, daily essentials, and personal belongings are completely gone. They are truly starting over from absolute zero. "Anyone who knows my best friend knows they are the kind of person who would give the shirt off their back to anyone in need. Now, they are the ones who desperately need our community to rally around them." ‌ The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said 1 Appliance from Central Fire Station and 1 Appliance and a Hazardous Materials Appliance from Whitla Fire Station attended the incident. A statement said: "All occupants of the property were out prior to the arrival of Firefighters. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used 2 hose reel jets to extinguish the fire. Firefighters assisted 2 casualties with first aid and transferred them to the care of NIAS. The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental ignition and the incident was dealt with by 2.57pm." You can check out the fundraiser here . Article continues below For all the latest news, visit the homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.