Community rallies around fire victims

A BALLINA woman narrowly escaped with her life last week after a car crashed into her home, sparking a fire that destroyed the building.

Helen Daws, who had lived in her River Street unit for 13 years, was home when a silver Mercedes Benz rammed the downstairs shop just after 3 am on Wednesday, October 23. The building’s smoke alarms didn’t activate, but Daws was awake when the crash occurred, allowing her to alert her flatmate Kevin Bryant, her neighbour Christina, and her brother Gary Kuhl and his family, who live next door.

However, after moving her car to the back of the property, Daws became disoriented.

“I didn’t know where anyone was. I was too scared to go around the bottleshop to the front because the place was exploding. It was horrendous. I was in shock. I still am,” Ms Daws said.

“Fortunately, we were capable of getting out. If you were elderly, or someone with a disability, you may not be so lucky.”

Daws expressed concerns about a tobacconist moving in downstairs a few months earlier, noting that tobacco stores have been targeted in other towns.

She believes the incident may not have been random.

“It was not a random event. It was planned. There was no regard for anyone that was in the place.”

“We were very lucky. But we left with the clothes on our back.”

Bryant, who had lived in the unit for three years, lost all his possessions except for the clothes he wore.

Their neighbour Christina, a musician, lost her equipment, saving only a bass guitar and a drumstick signed by Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl.

The Ballina community has rallied around them, with donations of clothes, flowers, money, and an offer to replace Daws’ dentures.

“The community has been fantastic. It’s a nice place Ballina,” she said.

But the trauma of the fire has left her struggling to focus on finding a new home or replacing lost property.

“I just want to go home. But there’s no home,” she said.

Daws’ niece, Olivia Kuhl, who lost a car in the fire, has launched a GoFundMe campaign called Help Helen Huhl start again.

“Aunty Helen lost her entire life in under 30 minutes. Anything will help her survive this tragic event,” Kuhl said.

A fundraiser is also planned for the Kuhl family at the Great Northern Hotel on Friday, November 1.

NSW Police confirmed the occupants of the crashed car fled the scene, and inquiries into the incident are ongoing. Anyone with information or footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.