Ali and her husband Dexter woke to sounds in the night that they thought were intruders, but were actually falling slate tiles
A mum woke to find a “huge fire raging” just feet from her sleeping child, escaping moments before it destroyed the family home and leaving them “couch surfing”, “traumatised” and without insurance to replace their treasured belongings.
Ali Brandon, 37, woke at around 4am on September 7 2026, initially thinking the power had gone out before hearing “loud banging sounds” around 20 minutes later.
Fearing intruders, Ali woke her husband, Dexter Lewis, 37, and they discovered the noise was actually slate tiles falling from the roof of their North West London flat, with the terrace already “engulfed in flames” beside their sleeping four-year-old son.
The couple “frantically” gathered their four-year-old, their one-year-old, important documents and their cats before fleeing as around 40 firefighters “battled the blaze” for two hours.
Ali said she was “just lucky” to have woken as the smoke alarms had not yet sounded.
The fire destroyed their home, ruining all their possessions, including their children’s toys and school supplies and, because they did not have contents insurance, many of their things will not be replaced.
Now “couch surfing” with loved ones and facing financial uncertainty and “sleepless nights” the family are relying on a GoFundMe fundraising page to help them rebuild their lives.
Ali, an administrative assistant, who is originally from Florida in the United States, told PA Real Life: “I get so choked up thinking about this, we’re still in the thick of it.
“Our baby was sleeping a mere 10 feet away from this enormous blaze that later took over his room. It is quite surreal.
“It felt like we were in a movie and not like our life. All the questions of what could have been are so haunting.”
Ali and Dexter met aged 13 at summer camp in the US and stayed “pen pals” throughout their childhood, before reconnecting on Facebook when they were 20 and have been together ever since.
The couple bought their two-bedroom, top-floor maisonette in 2020, with the home spread over two floors and featuring a terrace.
It is the only home their children have ever known and was “full of happy memories”.
But on September 7 2026, their lives were “turned upside down” when a “devastating” fire tore through their home in the early hours of the morning.
Ali said she woke up at around 4am after her air purifier suddenly switched off, having become “used to sleeping with white noise”.
When she got out of bed, she realised the lights were not working and the power was “completely out”.
In a “tired state”, she said she looked out of the window and noticed the other buildings on her street still had power, with their lights on.
She said: “I thought it was odd but went back to bed, thinking I’ll call the company in the morning.”
But around 20 minutes later, Ali said she was unable to get back to sleep and “suddenly” heard “loud banging sounds”, as though someone was “pounding” on the front door.
She headed downstairs, where her baby sleeps, fearing there could be intruders, but could not find anyone.
Still hearing the banging, she and her husband ran upstairs and into their eldest son’s bedroom.
Ali said they opened the curtains of the French doors onto the terrace and realised the noise was coming from slate tiles falling from the roof.
“The walls were burning, the entire terrace was already engulfed in flames that were higher than the level of the roof,” she explained.
“It was the other side of the glass doors, next to our sleeping child.
“It was really scary, and it was so extensive.
“It had already taken over so much by then that none of the fire extinguishers that we keep in every room of our flat made a difference.
“So we quickly realised that what we needed to do was gather the boys, our documents, and get the cats together, and get out.”
Ali said she was “just lucky” to have woken up, as the fire alarms had not yet gone off and she believes the fire had already been “burning for 30 minutes” before she noticed it.
As they “ran down the stairs”, her husband called 999 and they were told that other people had already reported the blaze, and the London Fire Brigade arrived within minutes.
“It was quite surreal to think that we were in our beds sleeping and neighbours were watching our place ablaze,” Ali added.
Everyone escaped unharmed, and Ali said around 40 firefighters spent approximately two hours tackling the blaze, while their downstairs neighbours were “out of town”.
Within an hour of the fire being extinguished, Dexter had met with structural engineers and the fire brigade, and the couple have since had “countless” calls with their insurance company and surveyors.
Ali said: “We had building insurance, but we didn’t have contents insurance so all of the things that were wrecked, like the lovely artwork in my son’s room that we had when he was born, and the furniture won’t be replaced or covered.”
They were then able to go in and see the damage – the fire left their entire home “ruined”, destroying their children’s toys, school supplies as well as Dexter’s collection of football shirts dating back to his childhood.
“The whole top floor of our building was destroyed by the fire because of smoke damage, and the roof is gone,” Ali explained.
“Whatever wasn’t damaged by fire was damaged by all of the water that they used to put out the fire.
“It’s gotten into the walls, all the floors have warped, all of the ceilings have started to fall down, and everything is covered in a layer of fine ash.”
Ali wanted her eldest son “to get back into a routine” as soon as possible and took him to school the next day.
She said the school was “incredibly supportive”, finding him clothes, while other parents donated gifts and essentials.
Following investigations, Ali said forensic teams were unable to establish the cause of the blaze because of the extensive damage, but concluded it could have been electrical fire which started on the terrace.
Since the fire, the family have been “couch surfing” with loved ones because they said they are concerned about the financial impact of paying for a hotel and are yet to contact the council about temporary accommodation.
Dexter runs his own company and has been working until 10pm to try to keep the family afloat while also dealing with the “endless” calls and appointments following the fire.
Ali said: “We’ve hardly slept since it happened, and we’re trying to get things to feel normal with the kids.
“I’m on such high alert, I feel like I need to stay awake to make sure everything is OK.
“This whole thing has taken an enormous toll on our mental health, because we just don’t have any peace of mind or assurances about what we’re financially liable for at this point, and we didn’t have any savings for this.”
But amid the “heartbreak” and “trauma”, Ali said the experience had made the family even more grateful to have each other.
Ali’s sister, Jaqueline, has since set up a GoFundMe to help the family, which has so far raised more than £16,000.
“We are just so completely moved and touched, we never could have imagined the level of kindness and support from people,” she said.
“We feel so emotional that people have been able to help.
“It’s gotten me through because we’re all so exhausted – physically, emotionally, mentally.”
To donate to the fundraiser, visit: gofundme.com/f/the-brandon-lewis-flat-fire.
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