Tara Salisbury, the mother of Alysia Salisbury, a five-year-old girl who died in a house fire, has expressed her constant pain every single day. The family home in Pontyglasier, Pembrokeshire, was consumed by fire on the 27th of May, leading to the death of Alysia. Tara described her daughter as the kindest, sweetest little girl who had no mean bone in her entire body and adored all animals and nature. Today marks three weeks since the fire, and it would have been Alysia’s sixth birthday. The fire is believed to have started in the bedroom of one of Alysia’s sisters where she had been for a “sister’s sleep-over.” Abi, one of Alysia’s sisters, tucked her in bed with the TV on before she went downstairs to warm some brioche for her in the oven.
The Sensitivity of the Deceased
Alysia had autism, and Tara stated that she was highly sensitive to sound, particularly the fire alarm. The fire alarm went off, but Tara explained that this was not unusual due to its high sensitivity. She stated that Alysia hated loud noises, and the alarm would go off even if someone turned the toaster on. Tara said that when the alarm goes off, Alysia would get very upset and screech and scream, and she had to smash the alarm to make it stop as quickly as possible. Dyfed-Powys Police is still investigating the cause of the fire.
A Heartbreaking Loss and the Road to Recovery
The inquest into Alysia’s death was opened on the 9th of June and adjourned until the 12th of October. Tara expressed how it took firefighters hours to find Alysia because the flames were so hot that they could not get anywhere near the building. The worst feeling for Tara was when she could hear Alysia trapped in her sister’s room. She ran up the stairs and yelled at everyone to get out because the room was on fire. Tara screamed into the flames, but she could not see anything. The whole room was completely on fire, and she could hear Alysia call back ‘Mummy.’ She tried so hard to get into the room to save her daughter but could not because of the intensity of the fire.
Tara said that Alysia would not have had any fear due to her autism. She explained that because of how Alysia was, when the fire started, she would have sat happily transfixed by it. Alysia would not have made any noise, alerted anyone, or run. She would have sat happily watching the fire as it grew. Tara said that Alysia’s sisters, 11-year-old Abigail and 15-year-old Jessica, “don’t know what to do with themselves” after her death. The community has shown fantastic support to Tara and her family, raising nearly £20,000 through an online fundraiser to help them rebuild their lives.
Tara expressed that nothing would ever bring Alysia back, but the response they have received from everyone would help them rebuild their lives again. The majority of the funds raised would be used to help rebuild their lives since they lost everything in one single night, including their home and personal possessions. Tara said that there weren’t any words to describe the loss of Alysia, but her smile lit up everyone who knew her, and she would always be remembered for her happy, kind, and innocent personality.
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