ONE Ipswich family are today homeless after their home was destroyed by fire.

Lizzie Parry

ONE Ipswich family are today homeless after their home was destroyed by fire.

The family-of-four quickly evacuated their home in Downing Close after a quick-thinking six-year-old son alerted his father to the fire in the front bedroom of the terraced property.

Robert McCarthy and his son were playing video games in the back bedroom when his son popped out to go to his own room.

“He came running back out and said his bedroom was on fire,” he said. “I went in and it was completely smoke logged.

“It was just me, my wife and my two kids here at the time.

“I made sure they all got out first,” he added.

Firefighters were called to the scene at about 11am this morning and discovered the front bedroom well alight.

Two crews from Princes Street used two breathing sets and a hose reel to extinguish the flames, and had the fire under control by about 11.37am.

The family have been told by the council they will have to share a large common room, with mattresses on the floor, temporarily until more suitable accommodation can be found on Monday.

The fire completely destroyed one bedroom in the terraced house, measuring about five metres by four metres.

The remaining two bedrooms, which have recently been decorated, were damaged by smoke and the living room, immediately under the spot where the fire broke out is also damaged.

Mr McCarthy said they were told they would have to move out because the house is no longer structurally safe.