Gay Couple Survives London Tower Fire
As details of the horrific fire that engulfed the Grenfell Tower in London continue to emerge, a gay couple’s personal story has come out. As reported by Gay Star News, Jules Ng, 30, and Lee Stewart, 29 both rented a unit in the building.
The sad news is the inferno took everything they owned. But good news is the fire did not take them.
Speaking to Gay Star News, Jules shared: ‘I was away because I was at work in Crawley, staying in a hotel, doing a four-day activity. And on Tuesday night, my boyfriend came to the hotel because it was his birthday yesterday – the day of the fire.”
Jules went on to share:
“We got here at Tuesday night. And at 3am on the night of the fire, we got a missed call from the landlord.
The vibrations woke us up, and my boyfriend called back to ask what was going on. That’s how we found out what happened.
I went to check online, and we saw the videos and articles. We saw our building burning down. It was horrific.”
The management consultant and IT developer had difficulty processing what his eyes were seeing.
“I just thought, “Oh my god. Is it happening? Am I seeing this right? We’re here, but think of the people inside! It’s the middle of the night, people are trapped? Our possessions, our home – seeing it burning down was horrifying.
We just hoped the fire would be put out in time so people would be OK.”
The couple are leaving their hotel today. They have been overwhelmed with offers of places to stay from family and friends. Mr. Jules’ employer has paid for the couple’s lodging while they try to put their lives back together.
While they are happy to have survived both in tact, there still is the very real loss of possessions. Shared Jules with GSN:
‘For me, it’s all the stuff on my laptop. I haven’t backed anything up, photos and files and documents. Both of us – I’ve got gifts from my 18th and 21st birthday that are probably lost. They were watches from my family, really beautiful watches.
I barely wore them because I loved them. My boyfriend lost his LP records. He’s a big Michael Jackson fan, and he’s got lots of memorabilia. We’ve both lost personal laptops, and all of our clothes.”
At least 17 people perished in the inferno that engulfed Grenfell Tower, in north Kensington and local authorities warn that number could rise more.
At the time of this post, some 30 people remain in hospital – 17 of whom are listed in a critical condition.
A friend of the couple, Kwok Law, started a JustGiving page to help them replace clothes, furniture and other possessions they lost in the fire.
“We’re stunned. It’s not just from friends and family, it’s strangers who we’ve never met. It just gives a positive spin on the entire thing.”
The couple shares while they are very thankful for any contributions, they would like people to support people who are less financially stable than them.
The Kensington and Chelsea Foundation are raising funds, and you can also donate clothing, bedding, toiletries to help points around the local area
h/t: GSN
