Couple still waiting to return home after fire

A couple who were evacuated more than two months ago from an apartment block fire are still waiting to return home.

Sara and Hassan were living at the Mosaic Apartments in High Street, Slough when it caught fire just after midnight on 22 August.

The couple has heard the building may not be safe to move back into until the end of November and in the meantime they have been living out of hotels.

In total they have moved five times but Hassan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that he knows he "needs to be patient".

Hassan explained they have lived in several different hotels since escaping the fire, which has been made more taxing because of a condition that requires him to use a wheelchair.

He said: “I have days when I can’t get out of bed – I’m just too tired with all the moving around and eventually I just said I’m not fit enough to move around.

“There are days when it’s okay and I can move about but there are days when I can’t go down to breakfast and have to stay in bed all day because I need to rest".

The couple has settled in a hotel near Heathrow but that brings its own challenges.

The location is not the easiest place to get to without a car, being designed mainly for airport travellers and served by main roads with narrow pavements.

At one point, Hassan spent the best part of four weeks inside and Sara said living out of hotels can feel "quite isolating".

She explained that even the simplest everyday tasks, like washing and shopping, become much harder.

“I was struggling to clean our clothes, I had to travel from this area near Heathrow to Windsor to the launderette," she added.

Despite all the setbacks, the couple are reluctant to complain about anything and are keen to emphasise how helpful and supportive everyone has been.

They said they are grateful to the Mosaic building managers’ insurers and booking agency for always finding them accessible accommodation and they are grateful to the council that looked after them in the hours after the fire.

The couple said they don't blame anyone for the length of time its taking to move back home.

Sara said: “We do understand that this is something we’re all dealing with."

“I’d love to get back to my flat today but we need to be patient, we don’t have a choice," Hassan added.

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