Aussie family heartbroken and homeless after 'losing everything' in house fire

Christopher Feeney and his family escaped without harm, but have been left with nothing.

A devastated family have been forced into a caravan with no place to live after "losing everything" in a house fire that engulfed their rental home in Perth last Monday.

Christopher Feeney, 42, was at the Scarborough property with his partner Johana and their son when the garage suddenly caught fire. Within minutes, everything they owned had been destroyed with nothing covered by insurance.

The father of two was able to get his family and their two dogs out safely, but they "lost pretty much everything," including clothes, toys, household goods and sentimental items, he told Yahoo News. He hadn't got around to getting contents insurance after moving into the rental property in January, and later learned they weren't covered by their landlord either.

"Most of the contents inside the house is gone and whatever was in the garage. Unfortunately, it's just left us with nothing," he said. Mr Fenny, who works as a flooring contractor, also lost his work van with up to $100,000 worth of tools meaning, for the time meaning, he's unable to earn an income.

Christopher Feeney with his partner Johana and their twin boys
Christopher Feeney, 42, his partner Johana, 38, and their twin boys, aged 6, are without a home due to a fire. Source: Supplied

Neighbour spots flames, prompting family's lucky escape

Mr Feeney said he was alerted of the flames by a neighbour who'd been walking past their home and noticed thick, black smoke coming from the back of the house. The cause of the fire was deemed accidental, but the exact cause couldn’t be determined as there were too many ignition points, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services of Western Australia told Yahoo News.

"I went out and the whole garage was already ablaze, so I knew I had to try and get everyone out safely," Mr Feeney said. He said they didn't have time to grab anything and the whole house has been damaged by the smoke and water from the fire brigade making it inhabitable.

Burnt house after fire.
The fire started in the garaged but ravaged the entire home, leaving the family with nothing. Source: Supplied

Family left with no home, no money after insurance mistake

The family were relying on their landlord to cover temporary accommodation but that's not covered by a standard insurance policy. They're now staying in a friend's caravan until they find a new rental which he admits will be "extremely hard". Mr Feeney said they're "urgently looking for another place to live".

"I just thought that when you rented somewhere and you paid a bond there would have been an insurance plan, but obviously not," he said admitting it's not something he ever thought about.

Friends of the family have set up a GoFundMe page to raise some funds to help the family "rebuild their lives". They've so far raised over $20,000 surpassing their $16,000 target.

Burnt car in garage after fire.
The Perth father also lost his work van and up to $100,000 worth of tools. Source: Supplied

Renters should consider contents insurance

NSW Tenants Union CEO Leo Patterson Ross said the insurance sector is "not well set up to support renters" as it doesn't cover some of the biggest issues renters face, such as temporary accommodation.

"For those that can afford it, contents insurance can be a useful product but it covers only the belongings and doesn't provide alternative accommodation," he told Yahoo News Australia. "There is no insurance we are aware of a renter can take out to cover this."

As for landlords, they should hold not only building insurance "but also appropriate business insurance (landlord insurance) to cover instances where they cannot provide the service," he added. Leo estimates less than half of landlords hold this kind of insurance.

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