Mother's home burgled twice after devastating Walsall fire

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 02:28 · Archive

A Walsall mother whose home was destroyed by fire in September has reported two burglaries at the property.

Lettisha Wyatt, from Shelfield in Walsall, lost her home she shared with her two daughters to a fire on 27 September. The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault involving a heater, with a footstool catching light before spreading to the sofa Wyatt was sat on. No-one was injured, but the house was left uninhabitable.

For weeks after the fire, Wyatt spent time trying to salvage what remained of her family's belongings. The family's ordeal worsened when intruders broke into the boarded-up property the day after the fire. Wyatt only discovered the break-in when a neighbour phoned to say they could hear someone playing the piano in the hallway.

During the first break-in, the intruders took jewellery, perfumes and shoes, though everything was smoke-damaged. They also broke vases and glasses from the kitchen and smashed mirrors. The home was broken into for a second time on Monday.

"It was just devastating," Wyatt said of the fire. "We're just taking each day as it comes, to be honest. We've tried to save as much as we can." She described the theft and damage as particularly distressing given the circumstances. "They'd broken vases and glasses out of the kitchen and smashed mirrors, which I think is really mean," she said.

Police are now investigating reports of a burglary at the property. The repeated break-ins have compounded the family's difficulties in recovering from the loss of their home.

How it is being reported

• Mum-of-two's plea for help after looters target fire-damaged Walsall home twice“Two days after the fire I received a phone call telling me that children had entered the property and trashed it”Birmingham World · 22 Oct, 02:01
• Mum-of-two's plea for help after looters target fire-damaged Walsall home twice“Two days after the fire I received a phone call telling me that children had entered the property and trashed it”Express & Star · 22 Oct, 02:01
• 'My burnt down home has been broken into twice'Police are investigating a burglary at a Walsall family home following a 'devastating' fire.BBC Birmingham And Black Country · 21 Oct, 14:29

In this story: Lettisha Wyatt · Walsall · Shelfield

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