'All they wanted to do was film selfies': Mother of two who lost everything in house fire slams 'rubberneckers' who didn't stop to help because they were only interested in videoing the flames
A mother of two who lost everything in a house fire has slammed 'rubberneckers' who didn't stop to help because they were only interested in filming the blaze.
Sharon Martyn said she and her family wept as they watched their home go up in flames in St Austell, Cornwall, on Friday.
She said: 'I am trying to deal with what the fire has done to us, but I'm struggling with how people could film it without stopping to offer any help.'
The mother, who didn't have insurance, was desperately getting her children and dog out of the house before the fire became out of control.
She said: 'There was a massive bang so I had to run and get the keys and move my car which was under the window.
Sharon Martyn said she and her family wept as they watched their home go up in flames in St Austell, Cornwall, on Friday
'What really got to me was a load of people going past and stopping to video the flames. I can't believe people would do that.
'I've got a 16-year-old with a heart condition, an 18-year-old autistic daughter having a meltdown and a dog going mad because he didn't know what was happening and people were stopping and making videos.
'Not one person stopped and asked to help, even when the flames were coming out of the window.'
The inferno devastated the upper floor, including the bedrooms, and possessions such as a TV and laptop.
She said: 'I am trying to deal with what the fire has done to us, but I'm struggling with how people could film it without stopping to offer any help'
Ms Martyn, who is now in temporary accommodation, added: 'We have lost everything other than some ornaments and our cars but we can't sell one of our cars as my partner needs one for work and I need one for the kids' hospital appointments.
'I'm quite a strong person, I've had to be, but this has been devastating.
'I can just about deal with the fire but what I can't deal with is the actions of those who went past.'
The fire was a result of an electrical fault in a cable that melted when Sharon moved it. It took just seven minutes for the house to burst into flames.
But a fundraising page has now been set up to help the family.