A COUPLE are trying to rebuild their home after a freak fire wrecked their ground floor.

Jas Mudhar, aged 57, who lives in Bomford Hill, Worcester, was awoken by a fire which was caused by his tumble dryer, which he says had been switched off.

He has no insurance because it was tied to the mortgage, which he has paid off, and he says he is now £180,000 in debt.

His ordeal started when he was woken up in the early hours of the morning after he could smell burning.

He said: "It was about 4am and I could definitely smell something burning and I told my wife who said she couldn't really smell it.

"Then she sat up and said yes that is smoke.

"I went to the landing and the hot air and smoke just hit me.

"Another few minutes and we would all have been meeting our makers."

The accident caused smoke and fire to tear through the house, causing extensive damage to the entire ground floor and parts of the top floor.

Mr Mudhar said: "Straight away we got everyone out of the house - I had to drag the dog out.

"He is a big American Akita so it was hard work with him biting me as I did it.

"I can't believe it. It has left us with basically nothing.

"For this kind of accident, you can't prepare yourself.

"All our clothes and belongings have been destroyed and we are now £180,000 in deficit.

"We had no insurance, so we had to re-build by ourselves."

Since the fire, on April 28, Mr Mudhar, with the help of friends and colleagues, has been re-fitting and repairing the house as best he can, but he said he has decided the family will move out as a result.

He added: "It has been great that all our family and friends have helped us with the clean up and getting the house back together again.

"We have decided we want to sell the house and move out.

"Even though we could make it safe, there would always be that sense of doubt and wondering if it would happen again."

The report made on the night of the fire by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Fire and Rescue Service said the faulty tumble dryer was the cause of the fire.

Whirlpool, the company that made the tumble dryer, is recalling tumble dryers sold under its Creda, Hotpoint, Indesit, Proline and Swan brands.

The flawed dryers were all made between April 1 2004 and September 30 2015.

The flaw is caused by excess fluff touching the the machines' heating elements, which can cause a fire.

It is not known exactly how the fire started.