Boston fire: NHS workers devastated after blaze destroys home

News imageBBC Vyshnavi Hari, 26, and Jitthu Mohan, 30,BBC
Vyshnavi Hari, 26, and Jitthu Mohan, 30, were among dozens evacuated from a fire at a block of flats in Boston

A pair of NHS workers whose flat was destroyed by a fire say they hope to "rebuild their lives together" after losing everything in the blaze.

Vyshnavi Hari, 26, and Jitthu Mohan, 30, were among dozens evacuated from a block of flats on Charleston Terrace in Boston on 19 July.

Lincolnshire fire service said the blaze was caused by "discarded smoking materials outside the property".

The couple said they were "devastated" by the destruction.

Healthcare assistant Ms Hari and nurse Mr Mohan, both from Kerala, India, had only lived at the Haven Village apartment block for five months before the fire.

The blaze was started by smoking materials left outside the building, a fire service spokesperson said

There were no reports of any injuries due to the blaze. The building was demolished last week after it was deemed unsafe, East Lindsey District Council said.

Ms Hari and Mr Mohan were having lunch when they were told to evacuate.

"We were already eating and we only had our mobile phones in our hands when we heard there was fire in the accommodation," said Mr Mohan.

"There was nothing we could do, we had to leave immediately."

Among the items lost to the blaze were the couple's documents, such as their passports and residency certificates. To replace or renew is a lengthy and arduous process involving the courts in India, the couple said.

"For us we are thinking that, because these documents are just like our life because we have been working hard for the past 20 years and we had made all these documents," said Mr Mohan.

News imageRubble behind a metal wire fence
The Haven Village apartment block was demolished last week

They are now living at an NHS accommodation block near Boston Pilgrim hospital where they work.

Friends and colleagues have been helping with clothes, food and money.

The pair said it had "been a long dream" to live in the UK and they were now hoping to rebuild their lives together, with plans to stay in the town for some time.

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