A NEWPORT man whose home was destroyed by a fire last weekend is appealing for donations and help to clean up the house.

Fifty-eight-year-old Michael Osborne, of Portskewett Street, in Lliswerry, had just gone to bed when, at 9.45pm last Saturday, he smelt something.

“I was nearly asleep,” Mr Osborne said. “At first, I thought I had something in the stove cooking – but I knew I didn’t.

“As soon as I opened my bedroom door, black smoke filled the room and, when I realised what was happening, the fire had been burning downstairs quietly for about fifteen minutes.

“I panicked and run downstairs, it was full of smoke and I had to get out fast.

“I thought the whole house would burn down and spread to my neighbour’s houses.”

Mr Osborne, who is currently looking for a job, said the fire was started by a cigarette that he had put out in the ash tray before going upstairs.

He said that the fire services were there within a minute of his call and that, while he was on the phone with them, he could already hear their sirens.

Mr Osborne, who didn't have house insurance, said that there’s no electricity or gas in the house at the moment and that the only thing working is the water.

He said that it has affected the whole house, even upstairs, where there was no fire.

He said: “I’m coughing like mad and I’m hungry and cold. I’m staying at a friend’s house at the moment, but I want to get on with this.

“I’m not asking for much, but anything that could be contributed, would be greatly appreciated.

“I need help to clean up the house but, if you don’t have time, I need paint and new furniture for the living room, for instance.

“This is my house and I don’t want to move away, I’ve been living here for 23 years. This is a small community and here I get help from my neighbours.”

A South Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: “We were called at 10.10pm to a fire involving the ground floor of a two-storey property.

“It was an accidental fire and the occupant was treated by an ambulance.”