10 years on: Tragic Newport father recalls fire in which he lost his wife and daughter
A man has spoken for the first time about a fire that killed his wife and daughter at their Newport home – exactly 10 years after the tragedy.
Tony Ellis lost his wife Glenys and his second eldest daughter Mellissa in the fire that tore through the family home in March 2006.
He has faced the challenge of putting his life back together, suffering both from the bereavement and also severe physical injuries that have left him struggling to walk and talk.
The 69-year-old suffered 25 per cent burns to his upper body. The smoke inhalation also caused brain damage that has affected his speech.
He said: "I do not remember anything from that day. I was told I would never walk again. But I want people to understand that if they have the right mindset they can achieve anything."
It has been 10 years since a fire tore through a Shropshire home, killing a mother and daughter and leaving a community devastated.
But on the anniversary of the fire, Tony Ellis today decided he wanted to speak out.
He has faced enormous physical and emotional challenges since the fire tore through the house in Newport on March 25, 2006.
The 69-year-old was found in the kitchen of the house in Fishers Lock, unconscious on the floor with the tap running.
Firefighters believed he was trying to save his wife and daughter who were trapped upstairs, but Tony cannot remember anything from that night.
His wife Glenys, 57, was upstairs in the couple's bedroom and his second eldest daughter Mellissa, 28, was also upstairs – but despite emergency services trying to save them, they were pronounced dead at the scene.
Mellissa's two daughters Lauren and Sophie, who were five and 11 at the time, were also in the house during the fire but survived after being pulled from a first floor window by a neighbour.
Maurice Diaper used a ladder to rescue the two girls after his wife Christine heard children screaming.
Mr Diaper was hailed a hero after saving Tony's two granddaughters in the early hours of the morning when the fire broke out.
Tony, who was a debt collector, suffered 25 per cent burns to his upper body and was taken to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham, where he was in a coma for just over two weeks.
The grandfather-of-seven woke from his coma on the day of his wife and daughter's funeral, which the family say made it harder to break the news to him.
The funeral took place on April 13, 2006, at St Nicholas' Church in Newport, where about 300 mourners lined the streets.
Mellissa's two daughters were also at the funeral and each carried a single white lilly.
Doctors feared Tony might never walk again because of the devastating injuries he had suffered in the fire.
He had not only suffered burns because of the flames but brain damage caused by the smoke inhalation. The combination of the two has affected his ability to walk and talk.
But Tony has proved them wrong and has also managed to rebuild his life. Ten years on he remembers those he has lost with emotion and sadness, but says he is able live his life constructively and be thankful for those he still has to love and be loved by.
The 10-year anniversary marks the first time he has spoken in detail about the fire.
He talks of the event itself but also the funerals he missed because of his own injuries. And he remembers the comfort he felt from the rallying of support within the community in the weeks and months after the tragedy.
He said: "I do not remember anything from the fire because I was found unconscious in the kitchen downstairs, with the tap running.
"The fire service said the smoke wasn't as intense downstairs as it was upstairs, which is why I managed to survive.
"But my wife and daughter were upstairs and were unable to be saved – they died of smoke inhalation.
"I do not remember anything from that day – I cannot even remember a trip my wife and I took a month before to France.
"I was told that people had to stand outside the church as so many people were at their funeral.
"I was told the story of the fire was in all the papers, but I never saw any of the coverage as I was in a coma.
"My wife was very well known in Newport as she worked at a factory, and I was told people could take half the day off to attend the funeral. My daughter Mellissa was also well known as she went to Burton Borough School and worked at Safeway, which is now Waitrose, in the town.
"The fire affected the whole of the community and everyone was shocked and saddened by it."
After the fire, Tony was told by doctors that he would more than likely remain in a wheelchair, but he was determined to prove them wrong.
He said he was not given help by the council or hospital after being discharged in December 2006, so Tony and his daughters Sian and Ceri found him the help he needed.
"I was told I would never walk again," he said. "But I want people to understand that if they have the right mindset they can achieve anything.
"I did not listen to the doctors and I started to get help."
Tony has received help over eight years from an exercise therapist called Leigh Denley. She has helped him walk with the aid of crutches, although he wears head protection in case he falls.
Tony's daughter and full-time carer Ceri Burton, 32, added: "He has done so well and I never thought he would get this far.
"So much has happened in 10 years, so many good things and it is great that Dad has been around for it. We just cannot believe it has been 10 years since the fire.
"I remember it happening. I was 22 at the time and I was the first family member on the scene.
"I had a pay as you go phone, and I had no credit when the police called, so I just came round to Dad's and that's when I saw what was happening.
"I couldn't believe it, and then I had to break the news to the rest of the family about Mum and Mellissa, which was just horrible.
"We still remember my mum and sister and I have two children now and my eldest Ella is starting to ask about what happened.
"My mum was so kind and Mellissa was so bubbly – loud but so bubbly.
"They are missed by all of us."
Tony and Glenys had four daughters – Nicola, 40, Mellissa, Sian, 35, and Ceri, as well as seven grandchildren, Sophie, Lauren, Amy, Katie, Charlie, Ella and William.
The fire caused a lot of damage to the Ellis home.
It was started by an electrical fault in the living room during the early hours of the morning.
After the fire the community pulled together to rebuild the home, where Tony still lives today.
He said: "I was told the fire started in the living room, near to where I sit.
"It was an electrical fire and was ruled an accident.
"The damage to the house was caused mainly by smoke but it destroyed a lot of the house and the stairs were very unsafe.
"We managed to save a few things including some side tables in the living room and a table which belonged to my mother.
"But if you were to lift the carpet up in the living room you can still see some of the marks left behind from the fire."
Tony moved back home after he was discharged from hospital, despite doctors saying he should be in a rehabilitation home. But he did not want to live in a home – he wished to move back into his house where his family had grown up.
Tony's second youngest daughter Sian lives in New Zealand and in 2007 he went out to live with her for six months to help with his mobility. While out there he was able to start walking again as well as work on his speech. Leigh Denley, who has been Tony's exercise specialist since he returned in November 2007, says she is so proud of him. She speaks of his dignity throughout his ordeal – and his determination to rebuild his life.
"He had to learn how to do everything again," she said. "He had to learn how to walk, talk, tie his shoes and even get dressed.
Mindset
"The fire affected his cerebellum, which is the part of the brain that controls your speech and co-ordination. He has done so well and nothing has stopped him getting to where he is now.
"In 2014 he had a big heart attack, and had to have a double bypass. After that we had to pretty much start all over again, but once again he has done brilliantly."
Tony added: "I just wanted to remind people of what happened 10 years ago.
"I also want people to understand that they don't have to listen to doctors, as I was told I'd never walk again. But with the right mindset you can achieve anything you want to."
