Grace Porter discovered her home was set for demolition just hours before it happened, leaving her devastated and without her belongings
Willington: Grace Porter’s life took a turn for the worse when her home at 8 Coronation Terrace was destroyed. It all happened after the house next door exploded in a fireball on June 24, leaving her home in ruins.
She was actually planning to move out that day but never got the chance to grab her things. All her cherished belongings, like family photos and her kids’ toys, were left behind. She was left with nothing but the clothes she was wearing.
On January 8, at 3:09 PM, Grace got an email saying her house was going to be demolished within hours. She had reached out to her landlord for an update, and that’s when she found out the shocking news.
Grace rushed from her new place in Richmond, North Yorkshire, to Willington. When she arrived, she saw workers tossing her family photos, her kids’ teddy bears, and clothes into a skip. It was heartbreaking.
She couldn’t hold back her tears as she explained to the demolition crew what was happening. They were taken aback and stopped their work.
Outside the wreckage, Grace told the Echo, “If I hadn’t sent that email, I wouldn’t have known my house was being demolished.” It was pure luck that she reached out for an update.
The demolition crew had been instructed not to let anyone in, not even to check for salvageable items. Yet, there she was, watching her home being taken apart piece by piece.
An email from a loss assessor confirmed that no one could enter the site. Grace felt desperate, saying, “I just needed to talk to someone.” She was overwhelmed as she saw her belongings being tossed away.
The workers were visibly upset too. One of them said, “I feel so awful, I’ve been smashing up your house.” Grace was a mess, crying as she saw her kids’ clothes and family memories being destroyed.
“I was shocked they were told to remove everything when I was told nothing could be salvaged,” she said. “They lied to me. There’s no compassion at all.”
In another email, they even asked if she lived on the street, showing they didn’t even know who she was or that her things were still inside.
The demolition was set to start the next day and would take about six weeks. Her neighbor’s home was also wrecked by the explosion that morning in June.
Thankfully, Grace had stayed at a friend’s place the night before, so her daughters were safe. She woke up to calls from the police and saw her house in ruins online.
Her neighbor, a man in his 40s, suffered serious burns and spent months in the hospital, and sadly, his dog didn’t survive the blast.
Some residents have moved away, and one is dealing with PTSD from the incident. Last month, Northern Gas Networks apologized to residents for the distressing memories the scene brought back.
Grace’s landlord and the loss adjusters have been contacted for comments but haven’t responded yet.
